Bits and Pieces
by Artificial Dreams
Summary: N wants the world to realize they need to free Pokemon. But for some reason, he wants a young man named Touya in particular to listen and understand... N/Touya
1. Chapter 1

The town was nothing major. This town was the same as all the ones before it, after it, and next to. That was the way human towns were. Sure, sometimes this town or that had a fancy this or a fancy that. Or Town A would have this mountain while Town B had this coastline, and then Town C – Town C had _both_. But in structure, each was the same. The cities were built on using Pokémon, not working with Pokémon. Buildings were placed haphazardly, sprawling out in the form of human greed for wanting more land, more, more, _and more._ Already having so much, why did people need more? This took away the Pokémon's habitat. This took away… well, eventually this would take away everything, would it not? All the towns were the same.

Just because at first glance they looked different, did not mean they were.  
And this was what N had been thinking as he walked down yet another concrete sidewalk burying the fine greenery. In cities like these, only the opportunistic Pokémon would thrive – everyone else had to make do with what little space they had left on the outskirts. Hide in long, tall green grass and hope that no trainer came along to capture the Pokémon. Take them away from their habitat, from their home, from their families… did trainers not take these things into account? Trainers just blindly captured these animals with so little regard to their homes. None of them ever thought about these things, just as no one thought about where to build what in cities. Humans only thought about what was beneficial to them immediately - not everyone in the long run. Disgusting, really. Hands in his pockets, the man frowned when he noticed a few kids chasing a frighteningly skinny Lillipup down the street with sticks.

Everyone had to eat.

One hand reaching up, he clicked on the small ear phone. "Grunt, can you hear me?" A woman's voice responded with an attentive, 'yes sir.' "There's a Lillipup heading down Heliotrope Avenue, east. It's hungry. Please leave something for it. See if it has any siblings or eggs that may need something else as well. Try to… persuade the children harassing it to leave it alone." His voice was swift and commanding, and he gave her no chance to respond as he promptly hung up on her. This was their job – polite formalities were not a necessity. As he neared a four-way, N paused before continuing through the street to the other side. Hurtling down the street in his direction, in a panicked waddle was an Oshawott. Long Willow Street was just meeting with Heliotrope Avenue as an intersection, perhaps the most fitting place to meet anyone. Squatting down to peer at the incoming Pokémon, N furrowed his brows.  
The otter-like creature was in a rush, and people jumped aside as it flew down quickly as it could go. What was it running from? Zorua poked her little head out of N's ponytail, only to jump out to land delicately onto the pavement. Between the two, the Oshawott skidded to a halt realizing that the man and his Pokémon would probably not let it through. "Is something wrong?" He inquired, and offered out a hand to the creature. He doubted it would hop into his arms, especially if there was something – or someone – it was trying to escape. "Osha-Osh! Oshawott…!" Came a hurried voice, awkward and abrupt as the water-type panted between words. "_Move, move! I have to hurry, before he catches me!_" The rushed words came tumbling out.

N narrowed his eyes, and motioned for the Oshawott to hop aboard to get away. The creature fervently shook its head. "_You don't know where I'm going!_" It scolded. Not too far away a young man's voice could be heard calling for the Oshawott. Probably an owner this poor creature was attempting to run away from. Barely five minutes, and the young man had already witnessed his second Pokémon suffering some form of abuse.

"I'll take you somewhere safe." N promised softly, using the most gentle voice he could manage. The Oshawott appeared taken aback, surprised N had understood it. Hearing the other summon, the creature snapped back to reality and fervently shook its head further.

"_No no no, I want to show him something! But he won't let me! Oh… I got it! If I tell you where to go, will you take me there? You need to be able to run really fast, my trainer is quick!_" The otter-like creature requested, hopping up and down in excitement. Not even waiting to receive a response from N (who was now the confused one), the Oshawott clambered up his arm. The Zorua, curiosity piqued, followed after until the young man now had a Pokémon on each shoulder.

"I don't understand." N finally admitted, and instead of doing as the creature asked he patiently awaited an explanation. The Oshawott whined, and then tried to clamber away only to have the Zorua bark a request of her own – would the Oshawott please explain before running away? Her owner was awfully worried for it. The otter Pokémon shifted, uncomfortable and tried to find a quick escape. By the time Oshawott relented in explaining, his trainer had arrived in a panting but relieved mess.

"There you are!" The young man sighed, and gave an appreciative though lop-sided smile to N. The green-haired youth gave a wary nod of his head. "All right, no more chase for you! We need to get back." The young man told the Oshawott, and N was trying to decide if the voice was intended to be stern or not. If it was, the boy was doing a terrible job of it. The Oshawott shook its head – again. The boy's shoulders slumped while he frowned. "But, I really need to get you back…" He sighed, and looked to N who until then had been ignored. "Thank you for catching him, sir. C'mon Oshawott." And the boy reached over to grab his Pokémon; only instead N plucked up the small creature and held the confused otter Pokémon over his head.

"Wha-?"

"It wishes to show you something, I think." N stated simply, and the Oshawott nodded its head in hurried agreement. The brunet stood there, somewhat dumbfounded with his arms reaching up for the Pokémon. N was not much taller than the other, but what little difference there was made enough difference in the brunet being unable to reach. "Pokémon know a great many things… perhaps you should follow Oshawott instead of restraining him?"

"I-I'm not trying to restrain him…" The young man stammered, staring up at the other with wide eyes. "It's just, he's my only Pokémon right now," N narrowed his eyes slightly at the wording, "And he needs Nurse Joy to look at him. Earlier, his foot…" The boy trailed, and pointed with a finger at his Pokémon. N glanced up, and the Oshawott flushed while trying to hide the incriminating injury. "I don't want his foot to get infected." The brunet finished explaining.

"…I see." N sighed, and brought the creature back down to the other young man. Delighted at having Oshawott back, the brunet hugged the Pokémon tightly who gave a theatric sigh. Only to pout in N's direction and the green-haired man attempted to ignore the stab of guilt. Even so, at least the creature exhibited no signs of feeling betrayed – on the contrary, he at least understood that ultimately this was what was best for him. "You and Oshawott should be more careful in the future. Take potions with you. Antidotes. There is not always a Poke Center around to take care of injuries."

"Thank you, again." The boy repeated, and with a final smile he turned around to head back the way he came. N shrugged, indifferent to the boy. There was something he was curious about though. What had the little Pokémon wanted to show his trainer so badly? N could do little more than wonder, and he resumed his inspections of the town whilst the Team gathered. His father would give the speech, people would listen… well, and they would emulate listening. Only time would tell if anyone actually heard.

...

...

...

The next day, Ghetsis commanded people's attention with his booming voice and philosophical comments suggesting and implying ideas few ever bothered to consider – "They are living beings from whom we humans have much to learn. Tell me, what is our responsibility toward these wonderful beings called Pokémon?" The group did not know, and the puzzled suggestions were proof enough. More hours training? More hours studying? …Liberation? "That's right!" And he continued on, informing and guiding the Trainers to the only proper conclusion. N stood amidst the crowd, listening quietly while his eyes scanned and wondered if anyone was truly hearing. He spotted a familiar shade of blue – could it be?

"We sincerely appreciate your attention." Ghetsis ended at length, and with a sweep of his arm was quickly surrounded by Plasma members to guide him safely from the town. A few speeches ago the man accidentally caused a riot, and since then the police had been wary of these gatherings. There was also the issue of the group being called a gathering of crackpots – those people were deaf. They had no idea what Team Plasma was trying to do, what the goal's intent was.

"_Did you see…?_" The Oshawott inquired of its owner, who glanced at the little Pokémon perched on his shoulder. The brunet scratched beneath his chin, and the little creature gave a small sigh. What did the Oshawott mean? Was Team Plasma what he wanted to show his Trainer…?

"Your Pokémon… just now, it was saying…" N began, and the boy snapped his attention to the other man with startled eyes.

"Oh, it's you again." The tone was pleasant, almost happy. The Oshawott made a small sound, no real meaning other than to express he was happy as well. Next to him was another young man, about the same age with short black hair. He wore glasses and a raised brow, eyeing N with curious but wary eyes. Scrutinizing, trying to take in what he could for future use.

"Slow down. You talk too fast." The other young man interrupted, and took a step closer to the one with the Oshawott. Although he was a few feet away N could hear him whisper to the other, "You know him?" The brunet nodded, and quickly explained that the green-haired youth was the one who helped him track down Oshawott. "I see. Well then, thank you. Although… what's this about Pokémon talking? That's an odd thing to say."

"Yes, they're talking." N confirmed, and felt his shoulders droop slightly as he realized something – and it was not that he disregarded the thanks. "Oh." He adjusted his hat, and looked between the two. "Then you two can't hear it, either… how sad." The other two young men appeared puzzled, and rather than elaborate or explain himself the green-haired man jumped subjects. "My name is N." Introductions were always a good way to throw people off – compulsive manners were helpful at times.

"My name is Cheren, and this is Touya." The raven-haired one replied immediately, not even batting an eye at this. Instead, his brow remained raised but his expression somehow more critical. _Perhaps this one is not so easily thrown off…_ and perhaps both of them had heard. "Since we're divulging random information about ourselves, we were both just asked to complete the Pokedex and we just left on our journey. My main goal is to become the Champion, though." There was a hint of an ego at the end. N logged that information into his memory bank, in case he came across these two again.

"The Pokedex, eh? So… You're going to confine many, many Pokémon in Poke Balls for that, then. I'm a Trainer, too, but I can't help wondering… Are Pokémon really happy that way? Well, Touya, is it? Are you strong?" N asked, quirking a brow at Touya. He hated that terminology, but while undercover as just a regular trainer that was what he had to use. Otherwise, he would gain suspicion and curiosity. So there he was, asking the question that sent his blood boiling every time he heard it. The brunet grinned awkwardly, and scratched the back of his head with a light tinge on his cheeks. All the while, Cheren watched in the background wondering what kind of crazy people his childhood friend was going to end up befriending along the way.

"W-well… me, not so much." Touya admitted, and N's brow rose further. Well, better this than some gloating narcissist. "But, I'm trying my best to get stronger! My Pokémon on the other hand… they're a lot stronger than me. I've been trying to keep up, but they just keep getting better and better. I'd like to catch up to them soon, though…" The brunet was rambling, jumping from one strand of topic to the next in the same subject but N was paying little mind to the words. The only thing he could hear the other's voice saying was still, _My Pokémon on the other hand… they're a lot stronger than me_. The possessive was still there, the Pokémon still belonged to Touya… but at the same time, at the same time the boy was not judging his strength based on his Pokémon. And his voice… the brunet sounded so proud, like a parent telling another how well their children were doing. Finally, the ramblings ended. "So, uhm… why?"

N smiled. "Oh, I was just curious… if you would be interested in a battle?" He raised up a Poke ball. "I want to know if they are as strong as you say. And hear their voices…" _I want to know what they think of you_…

"Uhm… Oshawott?" The brunet asked, looking to the otter Pokémon who gave a determined nod. The creature patted his trainer's head, disturbing strands of brown hair before hopping down to do his most intimidating version of a glare. N chuckled.

"Was your Oshawott just giving you a pep talk?" N inquired, even though he already knew the answer - yes. "Let's go, Purrloin!" And out from the Poke ball came the feline, languidly stretching before getting into a ready stance.

"W-well… battles consist of two pieces… the Pokémon's strength and the trainer's tactics." Touya started, but immediately quieted and seemed to try and divert his attention solely on the battle. The Oshawott gave what probably sounded like a war cry to his trainer's ears, but to N's it was a simple: _We can do this!_ Plural – the trainer and the Pokémon.  
At the conclusion of the battle, N was able to surmise three things: One, he needed to get his Purrloin to a Poke Center – she was not hurt too badly, but there was no sense in not being sure. Two, Touya was one of the few trainers that actually needed his Pokémon rather than wanted. The Oshawott was the boy's confidence, always taking a brief pause to assure his trainer that they were doing well. Touya had incredible trust in the Pokémon, and the Pokémon even more phenomenal trust in Touya. The third was that the brunet was a surprising tactician, but only if his Pokémon gave him the okay that he was. He would make a powerful trainer in the literal sense of the word, not the main stream definition.  
Pokémon learned from their humans – what was effective, what was not, and when the best time for this or that was. But trainer's had to be dedicated to their Pokemon, to helping them – not using them. If Touya could stand on his own two feet, without Oshawott's assistance, he wondered how much better the Pokémon would have performed. The fact the brunet actually cared about his Pokemon was further expressed in that he was not the one running around challenging people. In short, N was intrigued by the boy. "Wow! You're Purrloin is amazing!" The brunet commented, affectionately petting his Oshawott's head (of who was now happily nibbling on a special treat for doing so well). The otter paused in its munches to make a sound at his trainer ("_I'm more amazing!") _who laughed. "You're both amazing!" The brunet amended.

The boy could not hear the otter's voice, but the two could still communicate, in a way. The two could never hold a conversation, but the basics could be expressed. More than N could say of most trainers he had met while undercover. "Thank you. Hear that?" He asked, and looked down at the Poke ball his Purrloin was now resting in. "So, mind if I ask why Oshawott isn't in his Poke Ball?"

"Not at all! I just, uhm…" Touya looked to the side, and bit his lower lip as he mulled over his answer. N wondered if the boy was trying to find a good starting place to try and explain himself, only to becoming a blabbering mess all over again. "I just…. Don't know what it's like in there?" The brunet finally offered, looking to the other young man as if he had a better explanation for the brunet's own actions. Both of N's brows went up. "A-and besides… fresh air is good for Pokémon, right? Right, Oshawott?" Now Touya was looking to the Pokémon for confirmation, who nodded once more to assure his trainer. The boy really needed some confidence. Unable to help himself,

"I imagine Pokémon like Trubbish would probably disagree about needing fresh air." N teased, maintaining his smile so the brunet knew there was no offense intended.

"Trubbish? …oh! I completely forgot about them… you're right. Oh, but… I still think it is probably cramped in there. Haven't you ever wondered?"

"Hmm?"

"How Pokémon fit in here…" Touya trailed, and retrieved one of his Poke ball's– probably an empty one, as Oshawott remained indifferent to its appearance. "It's so small! You know, when I was little I always thought it had something to do with Palkia, because Palkia can distort space and stuff… so I thought, maybe Palkia is involved with the Poke balls? But then I got older and thought, why would Palkia do that? I couldn't think of an answer, and a lot of the books explaining how it works are really, really technical and I don't understand them at all… uhm, am I… am I talking too much?"

"No no, you're fine." N nodded to him, and the brunet gave a relieved smile. In a way, yes the boy was talking too much – but N was finding he did not mind. The thoughts were interesting, and reflected some of the green-haired man's own curiosities when he was not busy. How did Pokémon, regardless of size and weight, fit into Poke balls anyway? His body gave a jolt, as he suddenly came to life and remembered he had Purrloin to tend to. _How had I forgotten?_ He wondered, concern brewing at recollection. "But we – I – should get my Pokémon to a Center. Thank you for the battle and for the… the thoughts." With a nod, N hurried away while the brunet and Oshawott remained standing there. At first the other young man's retreat was so sudden he had little reaction other than to say a quick, "Good bye!" After that though, emotions returned and he suddenly felt panicked.

"I-I was talking too much! Again! Ohh, stupid stupid…!" As he berated himself, his Oshawott reached forward to try and offer a reassuring pat.

"Osha, Oshawott… Osha." Came the otter's words, and his trainer sighed as his shoulders slumped again.

"You're just a good listener." Touya said quietly, putting away his empty Poke Ball so he had a free hand to pet the other with. "That's not a bad thing – but talking too much is. If you talk too much, you never know if someone wants to say something… or if you're taking advantage of a good listener."

"Osha!"

"It's not intentional!"

"Osha!"

"No – it isn't! I promise! Y-you can interrupt me all you like when I do, though!"

"Osha, oshaaaa…"

"What's that sigh for? H-hey! Oshawott, that's my hat…! Give it back! P-please?"

"Mmrrmmphh!" _But Touya, you don't take advantage of me at all… I like hearing you talk, because I know it means you're comfortable with me. _Watching these proceedings, Cheren sighed.

"Touya… that was one strange guy." Cheren muttered, scratching his head as he tried to make sense of what exactly just happened.

"Mmm? Well… he seemed nice enough…" Touya started, but quieted as he tried to figure out how to explain why he thought so to his friend. He knew he should probably start by reminding the other that N had helped him find Oshawott… Cheren walked over and patted the brunet's shoulder, offering a half-smile.

"A bit like Bianca, huh? Strange, but nice. But… I wouldn't worry too much about him. Odds are, you probably won't see him again. Lots of Trainers out there… Anyway – never forget. Trainers and Pokémon help each other out. I think you and Oshawott are doing a great job of that so far." He grinned, and released his hold on the brunet's shoulder so he could start walking away. He gave a small wave. "Listen, I'm going on ahead. I want to battle the Gym Leader – loitering around here wondering about strange guys and the ethics of Pokedexes won't help me with that."

"All right! If you see Bianca along the way, tell her I said hi!" Touya called after his friend, with Oshawott making small sounds in addition to the farewell.

* * *

**Disclaimer:** Do not panic - I do not own Pokemon, nor am I affiliated with it in any way other than being a consumer of its merchandise.  
**A/N:** Mmmm. So yes. This is essentially a "re-imagining" of the game, concentrating predominately on scenes with N and Touya. Through I will sprinkle some scenes that were not in the game, if only to add some spice to prevent this from being stale (not to mention every Pokemon game is going to be different. Just because I am determined to have the coolest Blitzle ever does not mean you want anything to do with a Blitzle - even though Blitzle is an electric zebra of DOOM). Also, I apologize this was a bit awkward - I am not yet accustomed to how to display N and Touya's personalities. Until I am comfortable with them, they'll be a bit stiff. Lastly... I so badly wish to add Bianca/Touko in here. But we shall see how THAT goes...  
**Minor Edit:** I corrected some SERIOUS spelling and word errors. See, the title is both symbolic and an inside joke about the fact I really did write the first chapter in bits and pieces. This final product was my pasting them all together, and some weird issues came up as a result. I just noticed, so this chapter should be clearer now. I also tried to make this more double-spaced, so the text is easier on the eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

Snuggled comfortably in the fabric on his trainer's hood, Oshawott made small content sounds on occasion. The jacket was one of the things the small Pokémon adored about his trainer – the fabric was soft, not rough and scratchy. The hoodie was also the exactly the same shade of blue as the otter creature as well. The blue was familiar, and gave the impression of camouflage – especially when he curled into a little ball. Half the time the only indication he was even burrowed within was the fact that hoods did not normally have a bulge or water resistant fur occasionally shifting in sleeping position. Admittedly, the hiding spot was not perfect but the little Pokémon had surprised enough people thus far to keep the delusion there. Currently, Oshawott was lazing about in his spot as Touya headed over towards the Dream Yard. Some scientist wanted his trainer to gather something called the 'Dream Mist' left behind by wandering Munna.

The brunet had accepted the request on the simple reason that he was curious about the Munna. There was none in his hometown, and his younger days spent in trainer school had the teacher telling the class about the psychic type. Munna's ate dreams, left behind the mysterious substance, and of course the details on the average statistics regarding their strengths and weaknesses. Munna was a psychic-type, so there was a weakness to Dark and Ghost types… on and on. But pictures of the Pokémon were nothing in comparison to actually seeing one. He was both giddy with excitement and a stiff mess of muscles tightening from nervousness. What if he scared them away? Should he catch one? Should he just look for the mist? What exactly did the mist look like? Was the 'Dream Mist' look any different in person when compared to the photographs?

Touya was brimming with questions, and just outside of the compound was surprised to see Bianca there as well. The brunet beamed at his friend, who returned the expression with full force. "Hey! I didn't expect to see you here!" The blonde called, running over to him with her hair bouncing in time with her steps.

"Fennel asked me to collect some Dream Mist." Touya explained, moving forward to meet her halfway.

"From the Munna?" Bianca inquired, and the brunet gave her a confirming nod. "May I help? Ooh, I've been really curious about them! That's what I'm doing here. I thought, hey while I'm here, why not? So here I am!" She explained, her friend nodding politely to her words. "They look so cute in the pictures! Like little throw pillows! Only… I would never use them as a throw pillow." She laughed a bit nervously. "A Munna would probably throw **me** like one if I ever tried that! Psychic-types can do that sometimes. Anyway…" She took his hands, smiling broadly still. "How are you?"

"I'm fine. You? Travel isn't too hard on you, right? Uhm… has your… uhm, dad…?" Touya immediately regretted asking her, as her smile fell in increments until she appeared almost hurt.

"I-I'm sorry, I was just…"

"No no, don't worry about it Touya!" Bianca chirped, her smile coming back in a weak stumble. As he continued to apologize, she shook her head fervently before finally covering his mouth with her hands. "Ssh! It's fine! Honest, honest! Stop apologizing! Stop, stop, bad Touya!"

"Osha?" Oshawott poked his head out of the hoodie, narrowing his beady black eyes at her. "Osha…!" _Touya isn't bad!_

"Mmrph…!"

"There! Okay." Once effectively silencing her brunet friend, the girl took a deep breath. She made herself smile again, only this one was less forced and far softer than her usual chipper ones. "Touya. It's fine. Really. Trust me. My father… well, I'll figure it out. That's the whole point of traveling, isn't it? To learn things about yourself… and those around you. I just… I just need you and Cheren to trust me to have it in me to do that. Can you do that for me?" Bianca waited until he nodded, before slowly pulling her hand away. "And ask your sister to trust in me too, okay? She learned a lot about herself when she started. So in your next letter to her… ask her that for me."

"…okay. I promise I will." He nodded, and was relieved to see her usual smile come back from his words. Together, the two then began to head inside of the compound. The place was old, with walls crumbling and pieces of the ceiling having collapsed. In the shadows wild Pokémon darted this way and that, only allowing themselves to be visible within the corner of the two trainer's eyes. Grass poked through broken tiles, and the two began to wonder how long this building had been left to rot and be overrun. The two peered around the place quietly, abandoning conversation for the united goal of finding an elusive Munna. Oshawott had resumed resting, though kept his ears on Bianca.

Close ten minutes of searching had passed by the time the two heard other voices – hurried whispers, one man and one woman. Confused, the two teens looked at one another and exchanged a silent question: _Who is that?_ With people talking, the Munna were even less likely to come out of hiding. Placing her hands on her hips, the blonde jerked her head in the direction of the whispers to direct her friend to follow with her. Probably a girlfriend and boyfriend on some kind of romantic excursion, using this secluded area for a date. Normally she would have found such an idea quite romantic – at the moment though, she was just annoyed. Her friend had a job to so, could those two not wait?

The two followed the voices, and the closer they got the more distinguishable the voices became. "Hold still, you…!" The woman's voice, and initially Bianca was confused as to why she sounded so annoyed. The two were on a date, right? She immediately flushed – what were the two doing? What if this was not a date? What if this was… was…  
"We just need your mist! Come here, so we can liberate you…" The man added his voice gruff but laced with the same agitation as the woman. Not a second after that a Pokémon's cry was heard and something pink and round floated quickly past the eavesdropping teens.

"Touya, that was…!" Bianca gasped, her words blown past by two Team Plasma members giving chase after the small creature. "Munna!" His eyes widened, and the male gaped at the two chasing the Pokémon. The Munna gave a squeal, skidding to a halt when its panicked floating led it to a dead end wall. The Team Plasma members stopped near the creature, the man on the right with the woman on the left. With a small sound, the creature attempted to disappear against the building even though it knew no techniques that would allow it to succeed.  
"Come on; give us that Dream Mist already!" The woman yelled, stamping her foot with more force than necessary. The creature trembled again, understanding the body language and tone immediately.

"It's for your own good!" The man added, and with one step adjusted his stance so that he towered with a straight back rather than slumped. From their own corner, Bianca and Touya communicated without so much as looking at one another – the two ran towards the members.

"You leave that Munna alone!" The blonde ordered, puffing out her chest and narrowing her eyes. She raised her chin, and pushed up on her feet until she stood on her toes in attempt to intimidate the man and woman who snorted in response. Neither saw her posture nor cared – the two were not taking their eyes off of the Munna.

"Y-you're scaring her!" Touya added, and tried to not flinch when the man whipped his head around to glare at the two.

"We're TRYING to help her and all of the Pokémon, you little brats! Now get!" He barked, shifted his position so that he could keep an eye on both the Munna and the teens. He wanted to watch these people run with their tails between their legs, cower beneath the might and power of Team Plasma.

"Actually, while they're here… shouldn't we liberate their Pokémon?" The female member asked, her voice a strange combination of a sneer and suggestion. "I'll get this Munna's Dream Mist while you do that…" She added, as reassurance to him. Her body shot forth, almost like a Serperior moving forward to snap at prey. One leg shot out, striking the Munna right in the middle. The creature gave a wail, forced back by the hit into the wall. The creature slumped down, shaking more violently when the woman added another few kicks.

"That's NOT helping her!" With a surge of adrenaline and testosterone, Touya ran at the two with little more planning than to pick up the Munna and take it somewhere safe – with no idea or concept as to where 'safe' would be. The male Team Plasma member responded before Bianca could, intercepting the brunet with a sharp punch to the gut. Touya gasped and curled forward, his hands reaching forward immediately to cover and protect his stomach from a second impact. The teen crumpled to the ground, a soft whimper escaping his mouth as the pain exploded from the area struck.

"Tch. Stupid kid…"

"Leave Touya alone!" Bianca screamed, and reached into her bag desperately trying to find her Poke Ball. Panic-stricken she found everything but what she wanted – Potions, Antidotes, imported Poffins, and band aids…

"His Pokémon would be doing a lot better without him holding them back." The man sneered, and reached down to the brunet to remove his Poke Balls from his belt. Not that doing so would be particularly difficult in theory – Touya was on his side, curled into a fetal position as he tried to ride out the pain still lingering within his gut. This was, however, a mere theory – the fact still remained that the attempt at theft was thwarted when Oshawott jumped out of the hood to fire an angry stream of water at the man's face.

He stumbled back coughing and sputtering, his head and torso soaked through the uniform. "Oshawott!" The Pokémon growled, hopping in front of his trainer protectively.  
"Stupid…! That was cheap, kid!" The man snarled, and reached behind him before throwing his own Poke ball. A Lillipup emerged, growling and baring her teeth. The Oshawott readied himself, glancing back just briefly to ensure Touya was okay. The brunet nodded, and gave a slight smile. From his position on the ground, on eye level with the small Pokémon… somehow, he found that he was unable to help noticing how thin the Lillipup was. What kind of people were these? Starving their Pokémon like that…

"Right!" Bianca nodded, and threw her own Poke ball. Out came her Tepig, snorting out embers. "C'mon, let's stop that woman!" The blonde cried, and a two-way battle immediately began when the female Team Plasma member sent out her Purrloin.

At the end of the battle, the entire area became a scene of madness. The man with the speech from earlier – Ghetsis – flashed this way and that, berating and threatening the two individuals. The man and woman ran off with everything except their dignity and the Munna, a brief exchange consisting of there being multiple Ghetsis'. After the two were gone, a

Musharna appeared and gently nuzzled the shaking Munna with coos.

The two wild Pokémon left shortly afterward, leaving behind Dream Mist. Fennel arrived not two seconds after their departure, and the brunet's head was a whirl of questions and new requests. He barely even registered the fact the scientist had left and asked him to come to her lab when he had the chance. "I don't…"

"Touya? Are you all right?" Bianca asked, walking over to him and bending down to peer over him. She took his head, turning his face this way and that as she checked for bruises.

"I-I'm fine… do you think that Munna is…?"

"…I'm sure she will be. Her parent came to get her, right?" Bianca murmured, releasing him once she was satisfied he had not sustained any serious injuries. She sighed, and stood back up to stare where she saw the two Pokémon flee off to. "But… I think I might stay here a bit longer. Just in case. You should go back to Fennel's lab. We'll be fine. I have a Potion for Tepig. But you should… you should probably get looked at, just in case. Okay?" And she winked, because everything was going to be okay now.

"…right." Touya nodded, and scooped Oshawott into his arms as he stood. "You be careful though, okay? Because… what if that wasn't a dream?" He asked, watching his friend as he held his Pokémon close. "I mean, it didn't feel like a dream… but…"

"I'll be fine. You be safe heading back!" And with that, Bianca effectively closed the discussion down. He nodded, and with a final farewell the two departed. Carrying the otter creature with him, the brunet smiled down at Oshawott before pressing his nose against the Pokémon's.

"Thanks… you really saved me back there." Touya whispered, and laughed softly when the Pokémon reached up to rub his face against his trainer's, the whiskers tickling the brunet's cheek and neck.

"Osha, Oshawott…!" _You've saved me so much already… so of course I'll always be there to save you!_

…

…

…

Gazing up at the giant skeleton, N's thoughts wandered and weaved. How sad. Even years after its death, this Pokémon was still being used by humans. Put on display, its only purpose now to elicit "Oohs!" and "Aahs!" from curious onlookers. Not to decompose in the ground, to return to the earth to renew the resources for both plants and creatures. Disrupting the carbon cycle. The green-haired man scoffed. The carbon cycle, the water cycle, the nitrogen cycle… how many more important cycles would humans abuse and manipulate before any realized the repercussions such actions would result in?

The Zorua wriggled in his hair, before poking her head out to take in a deep breath. He had found her as he had found so many others – abused heavily, and abandoned when she was no longer of use. Zorua had been with years, since he was a small child. N was the first human to acknowledge she had a use and always would, with or without a person with her. Everything was connected. The simple act of traveling with him, her fur was covered in little seedlings to be carried from area to the next. She ate small bugs that hindered the growth of plants. Zorua was a use to the planet, and he never hesitated to commend her for serving that purpose with mere existence. She made a small sound, and he glanced back at her to offer a smile.  
"I think he was a very majestic creature." N stated softly, his voice quiet and audible to his friend. "What do you think?" Another sound, this one softer and more contemplative. "Yes. He does look like a dragon-type…" He trailed, before silencing. "You know, there is a dragon from legend… dragons, actually. I wonder what happened to them? Are they as this Pokémon is now…? Or are they…?" _Or are they still around?_ He had never heard of Legendary Pokémon passing so easily. Curiosity nagging at him, he turned around to exit the museum. Admittedly, he knew there was a library deeper into the museum – but he had no interest in dealing with the games Lenora laid out for trainers wishing to challenge her. The young man merely wanted raw information, and a quiet place to review it.

Pushing open the door, he immediately moved to the side out of practiced manners (with both Pokémon and people – standing one's ground was often viewed as threatening to wild Pokémon, especially when injured). "Oh!" A familiar male voice responded, and N actually took the time to inspect to see who he had almost walked into. The brunet from the previous town. His name was Touya, if the man remembered correctly. "Hum, hi again!" Touya greeted, smiling at the familiar face.

"Hello." N's response was cordial – he did not exactly have time for formalities, but at the same time he did recall this young man. He did wonder… exiting the museum completely and letting the door close behind him N effectively cut off the other's way into the building. The brunet did not seem to mind, and if the green-haired man did not know any better Touya even seemed a little happy, _perhaps he wants to talk again._ An ironic grin flittered across his face, before he became serious again. "Touya, right?"

"Ah, y-yes! And you're… N. Does that… stand for something?" The brunet inquired immediately, only to smile awkwardly and take a step back. "S-sorry…"

"You're fine. Been wondering that since the last city?" N queried with a small chuckle. The brunet nodded his head rapidly in response, hopeful he would receive an answer. "I see. Unfortunately, I want to ask your opinion on a few things before I need to leave, so that will have to wait for another time."

"My opinion? Why?" Touya's face was perplexed, and he looked at the other wondering what in the world he had to offer that N wanted to know. Perhaps he was taking a survey? He did not look like a pollster… on the other hand, the brunet had no idea what a pollster looked like. Creeping out of his hood was Oshawott, peering between the two young men.

"Because from our last meeting, you asked a lot of questions I have. How do Poke balls work? How do they hold such creatures of so much power and possibility? When Pokémon are wild and free, in order to work with them we humans must take time to earn their trust. It can take years. But with Poke balls… we throw one, and suddenly that Pokemon listen to us almost unconditionally. Is that not unusual? I… want to see things no one can see. The truths of Pokémon inside Poke Balls. The ideals of how Trainers should be. And a future where Pokémon have become perfect… Do you feel the same?" Green eyes stared into brown ones, more intense and pressing than any other eyes Touya had looked into.

Yes, Touya had always been curious about such things… but he had never spoken them aloud seriously. No one listened to that sort of thing, and if they did no one wanted to dwell on it for long. They saved such thoughts for the heavy thinkers, the philosophers. Even his friend Cheren, of whom Touya admired immensely, never really lingered on such, "trivial things," as the young man had put it. Not that Cheren did not care or was somehow not curious – he simply required facts, technical details. In his opinion, wondering did little good if no answer was going to result from it. But did he feel the same? The brunet glanced at Oshawott, who made a happy sound before nuzzling his trainer's cheek.

"…y-yes. I-I don't know if anything can become perfect, but I think everyone deserves a chance to try. If we understand everything better, wouldn't it mean we can do things better…?" Touya brightened, an idea hitting him with such inspiration he could barely contain his own excitement. "And what if someday trainers didn't need Poke balls to work with Pokémon? We just… worked together, because we trusted each other? Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

"…yes. That would be wonderful." N agreed, smiling slightly. "Hmmm. Yes. That so? That so? I think my friends and I should test you to see if you can see this future, too." He pulled out one of his own Poke balls, and the brunet realizing he had just either been challenged or tricked into a challenge, took several steps back so that when N's Pidove came out the bird Pokémon did not fly into the young man.

"Nnn, a-again?" Touya stammered, and the two went into their second battle with each other. Just as last time, the brunet did well and won. Only this time… "O-Oshawott?" Touya gasped, as the otter Pokémon began to glow softly. "What's…?"

"Seems that he is evolving." N commented, gently putting his friends away after he gave them each a potion until he could get the three to a Pokémon center.

"E-evolving…?" Touya repeated, staring wide-eyed at the process as it began to transpire. Oshawott was changing, a slithering and morphing mass of his friend and Pokémon becoming a physically different being while retaining everything that made Oshawott Oshawott.

"Do you not want him to?" N asked, quirking a brow.

"D-does he want to…?" Touya wondered, and before the other man could respond the change finished – the small Pokémon now at least a foot taller and inspecting himself and his new changes with an open curiosity. Finally, "Dewott!" The tone was surprisingly full of approval, and the Dewott nodded his head at his stronger body.

"D-dewott…" The brunet breathed, and suddenly ran forward to hug the Pokémon. "Look at you! Your whiskers look like a mustache!" Touya laughed, and Dewott leaned forward to return the hug.

"D-Dew…? Dewott!" _Huh?_ _They do not!_

"I cannot see the future yet… the world is still yet to be determined… Right now, my friends aren't strong enough to save all Pokémon. Maybe I can't solve the equation that will change the world. So I need power…" N murmured, and after one final check of ensuring the Poke balls were there moved around the embracing human and Pokémon to start to head off. Amidst Touya and Dewott's excitement, N had his own epiphany. He knew exactly where he could go for information, and precisely what information he needed. "Power enough to make anyone agree with me." _Not everyone is like you, Touya. I don't think you can quite hear or understand what we are saying yet… but you're almost there. You are open, and willing, I think. But in this world, you are one of the minority. One of the few…_ "Now I know what power I need. Reshiram! The legendary Pokémon that, along with the hero, created the Unova region." As he made his way down onto the sidewalk, Touya and Dewott looked up realizing the other young man was taking his leave.

"Uhm… b-bye N! It was good seeing you again!" The brunet called, though N remained deep in his thoughts and gave little response or reaction. He was, however still talking to himself as he left.

"It's my turn to become that hero – and you and I will be friends!" N announced, nodding his head in determination. He did not notice he had said that quite so loudly, or even that people passing by him gave him confused and alarmed looks. Was he one of those traveling actors, practicing a line for his next play? Or was this man just plain out of his mind?

"F-friends?" Touya repeated, eyes widening and felt a small hope flutter. N wanted to be his friend? Why would N want to be his friend…? The brunet smiled some, and Dewott cocked his head curiously at his trainer. "I think… I think I'd like to be his friend…"

* * *

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Pokemon nor have any affiliation with it. I am but a mere consumer and fan of the products and series.  
**A/N:** Yay, chapter two! Man, I haven't updated this quickly in quite some time... I hope this continues. Also... holy snickerdoodles, nine reviews? That's so many! I'm not complaining, just totally not used to it. Err... ahem. So this chapter was mostly a redoing of two scenes, but next chapter is going to be stuff I made up. I want to squish some more development in there before proceeding to THE FERRIS WHEEL. Mostly because I'm not at the ferris wheel in my game because I am writing this as I play. Which is why the fact I'm updating quickly is surprising, nyerher. Thank you all so much for reading and the feedback...!


	3. Chapter 3

**Apologies:** Sorry this took so long! I am not sure if any of you guys noticed or not, but FFnet is being rather glitchy... makes it difficult to update. (For example, I've been trying to upload this for a week...)

* * *

"Dew…" Standing a mere (and in his mind) imposing two feet, the water Pokémon continued his intense appraisal of the view before him. "Dew…" Yes – this had to have been the work of a master. Only one with pure eyes and a strong heart could ever achieve such a masterpiece. "Dewott." He nodded his head, and gently slipped the print from the basin it was located in before waddling his way over to his trainer who had been admiring a different piece of artwork. "Dew, Dewww… Dewott!" If anyone listened hard enough, they could almost swear the creature was actually saying, "Do, Doooo… Do want!"

Touya had his head cocked lightly to the side, his mouth slightly open as he mouthed the title of the piece in silent words. A few fingers were rested on his chin, the other hand holding onto his elbow. Hearing his partner, the brunet let his eyes trail from the portrait to the Pokémon. "What do you got, Dewott?" He inquired, completely turning away from the picture to squat down to be on eye level with Dewott. The otter creature beamed at him, and held out the sheet of pure magnificence to his trainer. Touya laughed. "Find this in the gift shop? Did you want it?" The creature nodded heartily, all but tap dancing in excitement. "Well, if you're getting something then so do the others… isn't fair otherwise, right?" The brunet teased, but received an ecstatic nod in response.

The print was a blend of mediums featuring a water coloured Oshawott, pastel coloured Tepig, and oil painted Snivy all curled up together in a ring of harmony and contentment.

"Dewott? Dew, Dew…"

"What am I looking at?" Touya inquired, and after a nod he gently lifted the Dewott up from beneath the arms to hold him to the painting. "It's called 'Ideals and Truth.' Isn't it gorgeous? I know it's just a bunch of different extreme shades of gray but… there's such a high contrast. I'm really glad Cheren suggested we check this place out! Do you think they have a print of this?" He asked, and peeked at his Dewott's face. The creature looked to be in a daze, before shaking his head and looking up at his trainer with a smile. "Did you see one?"

"Dewott!"

"Hahah, all right then we'll all be getting a print today!" Touya laughed, and set the Pokémon down so the two could walk over to the gift shop. Taking out his Poke Balls, the brunet released Dewott's fellow party members, and the assorted Pokémon with their trainer each began making a selection. By the end of the deciding process the brunet realized he probably needed to call home and ask for an advance on his traveling money – his Pokémon somehow convinced him to buy not only each of them a print, but also a small treat based off of one of Burgh's creations. Not that he minded moments of spoiling – but he needed to eat sometimes, too. Once payment was given and all of the Pokémon were returned to their Poke Balls except Dewott and Petilil, the three began to carefully carry the bags with them. There was a new plan: the Pokémon would wait for their trainer to get his own treat (Touya really wanted to try Castelia's famous ice cream), and then everyone would find a spot on one of the piers to have a pseudo picnic.

Perfect plan for the day.

But just like a Klink getting caught in a mechanism, the 'perfect planners' came across their own gear – although this one was not a Pokémon. Closer to the entrance, absorbed in a giant replica of one of the great masterpieces, was N. The older trainer was gazing with half-lidded eyes at the painting, a great white dragon almost engulfed in the flames it created. Green eyes were tracing the brush strokes, studying the form… following the trails of concentration and dedication across the white creature. There was admiration and wonder in his face, and while he did not know it Touya's own face reflected a similar visage though for different reasons. Petilil and Dewott glanced at each other, and then with mischievous grins the bigger of the two rushed over to where the green-haired trainer was standing.

Luckily for N, but unluckily for the contents of Dewott's bag, it was Zorua who ultimately earned the esteemed honor of offering the biggest surprise. She hopped right out of his ponytail to startle Dewott as he approached, the otter Pokémon yelping as his hands slipped on their hold of the bag. By the time the items splattered on the floor, Touya was rushing over in alarm while Petilil was hopping after with little cries. Having received a fair warning from his friend, N calmly got onto his knees to assist Dewott with picking up the supplies. "You should really be more careful." The young man chuckled, and the water Pokémon gave small nervous sounds in response.

"Dewott, are you all right?" Touya demanded, immediately getting down inspecting the creature.

"Wott, Dew Dew Dewott! Dewwwott!" The Pokémon responded with an indignant huff. _I'm fine, don't worry so much! It was just a bag…_

"He's fine." N assured the brunet, and without a moment's hesitation began rifling through the prints curiously.

"U-uhm…" Touya began, his fingers ceasing in their fretting checks over Dewott to pause in the air as he contemplated whether he should let N browse through their purchases or demand the items were returned. _Maybe he's just curious…_

"Did you pick all these out yourself?" N asked pleasantly, and handed the now neatly stacked prints to the Dewott. Taking the slick sheets, the Pokémon gently placed them back into the bag with a proud and beaming smile as he awaited compliments on returning the items so nicely.

"Oh, well everyone did. Picked them out, I mean. W-well, actually I mean my Pokémon and I, we uhm… we all picked one that we really enjoyed. So those are a group effort. It all began when Dewott wanted one, and then I started to think after the journey everyone will be coming back with me to my house and sharing my room… so it wouldn't hurt to start collecting things they can use to decorate to make my home feel more like their home too, so… pictures aren't a bad place to start, right?" Touya rambled, stumbling here and there as N continued to watch him with a smile that twitched once or twice in amusement and eyes that were still half-lidded.

"Dewott!"

"Oh! Right. And everyone got treats." Touya added.

"Dew WOTT!"

"…ah, I'm sorry! Yes, yes very good! Not a single bent sheet!" The brunet quickly amended, and now pleased the Pokémon happily sighed.

"Peti?"

"And good job on not dropping everything!" The more Pokémon he traveled with, the more Touya wondered if this was how his mother felt when he and his sister were younger.  
"Petilil!" The plant creature cooed, and hopped closer to rub her face affectionately against the brunet's right pant leg.

"It was nice speaking with you again, Touya." N finally spoke, and slowly stood back up. Wide-eyed, Touya's head snapped up immediately hearing the beginnings of yet another good bye. But… didn't N say he wanted to be friends, and he was already ready to leave?

"I-I'm sorry!" The brunet apologized automatically, and now it was the other man's turn to be surprised. "I wasn't trying to ignore you, just…"

"I understand." N said gently, followed by a small chuckle. "Your Pokémon need your attention. I don't mind. I was only swinging by here and you pulled me out of my thoughts so I figured I should probably be on my way…"

"I'm sorry I interrupted. But, uhm… N?" Touya started before the man could properly retreat. Next to him Petilil looked to Dewott and cocked her head to the side, obviously wondering _but weren't you the one who interrupted him?_ "If it's okay with my Pokémon… would you like to join us for a picnic? It's a really nice day, the billboard promised it would be really sunny… and it is a Tuesday, and I hear that that's usually the best time to get some ice cream…"

"Touya…" N began, only to quiet. Zorua looked up at him curiously, and then looked at the three standing opposite to them. He had been investigating the legend of Reshiram, which was how he had ended up in the museum. The library he visited made passing mentions that there were rumors surrounding Castelia as having the means of communicating with the legendary dragon. Admittedly, N was unable to find anything conclusive but these portraits… nowhere else had such visible proof that at some point, someone in this area had seen the creature for his or herself. There was something more to Castelia than Burgh's artistic flair and towering buildings surrounded by docks. There was also the fact that he wanted to inspect around to see if there were any Pokémon he could save.

But then, there was just something about the brunet… he could not quite place the why, though N found part of him curious and wanting to say 'yes.' He was a man with duties – duties to save and protect Pokémon. Just as 'no' was about to leave his mouth, Zorua made a small and happy sound. _Go_, she began; _just ask a few of the Grunts to search the city for you. You've been working so much… if you work yourself to exhaustion; there is nothing you can do for anyone. Go, relax with him… I think he wants to be your friend._ At the end of the speech, N stood there puzzled. His friend?

"…I need to make a quick phone call. But… when I come back, if it is okay with your Pokémon, I would be… honored to join your picnic." With that, N made a small nod of his head before scooping up Zorua to contact a few Grunts. The brunet stood there, nothing but smiles and a giddy feeling wriggling from his toes and into his stomach.

"He… he said yes!" Touya finally managed, and swiftly consulted with his Pokémon. Seeing his excited face, how could any of them say no? Besides, they had their trainer all of the time – other humans needed to spend time with him. On occasion, under their supervision - naturally.

…

…

…

The line was long, and standing there beneath the sun was hot. Touya unzipped his jacket, and unsurprisingly N unbuttoned the top half of his top shirt to let in more of a breeze. Both of the men were holding the bags now, while a few feet away Zorua, Petilil, and Dewott were playing together. The water Pokémon gave little squirts here and there, keeping both himself and the two females cool in the beating heat. The brunet was a little envious, wanting to just skip out entirely on the ice cream and play with the small creatures. Or maybe go to the shore, and play in the waves…

"You should." N suddenly spoke, his voice spooking the brunet into a small jump.

"Sh-should what?"

"You want to play with them, right? You should. I'll hold our place in line. In fact…" N trailed, before shoving his half of the items into the brunet's arms. Brown eyes stared in wide saucers at the other, holding onto the items in a befuddled visage. Grabbing two Poke Balls, the green-haired man released the rest of his team – the Tympole from before, and a Scraggy. The two exchanged curious glances, before looking from their trainer to the brunet, until they landed on the Pokémon playing nearby. "Go ahead. They won't mind, and you know Zorua." The two creatures brightened at his words, before scrambling over themselves to join. With a nod, the green-haired trainer then took both bags from Touya who was still staring though now he began to follow the other better.

His hands freed, the brunet released the rest of his team – a Blitzle and Pansear, both of which took no time or hesitation to run over and join the others. "Oh, uhm… be careful! Especially you, Pansear…! And Blitzle, try to not spark…"

"You should join them." N repeated, and the brunet took his eyes off the playing Pokémon to stare at the other. "I already told you – I'll hold our place in line. Go play with them," He made a motion with his head, since his hands were too full. "I got the bags."

"But that's not fair…"

"Then you play with them for a bit, and then I get a turn." N grinned. "It'll be fair then, won't it?" Still seeing the hesitation, "Is Pansear asking Tympole to give him a tight hug? I don't think that's such a good idea…" He trailed, and smiled to himself when the brunet raced over to the Pokémon to stop the non-existent life threatening hug between fire and water type. "Hey Dewott, I think your trainer is hot." N called, and when Touya realized he had been tricked…

…water blasted his face. "A-ahh, Dewott!" He yelped, and the Pokémon made his equivalent to a laugh before running away. "W-wait, don't get too far…!" Touya called after, and for the second time since they met N got to bear witness to trainer chasing his Pokémon. It was not long before the game caught on, and slowly the game of chase escalated to hide-and-seek along the road. Other people waiting in line watched, and a few even sometimes helped. The humans became something of a tag team, alternating in turns of who was 'it' while the Pokémon giggled and hid anywhere from in corners to under women's dresses ("Oh my!"). Touya and N got hit with more bubbles and streaks of water than most Pokémon ever did in battles, and tagging Blitzle was a challenge in itself. Touching an electric-type while wet was not the best idea in the world.

By the time there was only one person in front of them, the Pokémon all wanted back into their respective balls to relax while their trainers looked as if they had both been pushed into a pool only to drag themselves out. "…oh." Touya blinked, and suddenly began laughing. N quirked a brow, a slight smile still on his face. "…the prints are soaked… and so are the treats… haha… we're going to have to get more. It isn't a picnic if not everyone has something to eat."

"We could get everyone ice cream." N suggested. The two looked at each other, a small pause, and then just started laughing.

"Soaking this much, I think that's the only thing we can get them until we're dry." Touya agreed, smiling just as much as the other. The person in front of them went along his way, and the two young men approached. The seller was grinning at the two, having been watching them play with their Pokémon the entire time.

"What would you guys like?" The seller inquired.

"Mmmm… one, four…" The brunet counted the different flavors, and beamed noticing something. "One of each flavor, please!" He received a stare.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive! One of each, please. On a cone!" Touya added. The vendor chuckled again, but did as requested. The seller was also kind enough to pull out a box with little holes in it, so one of the two customers could carry all of the cones like a tray without dropping any. Ice cream gathered and the vendor paid, the two started to head towards the nearest dock. "Wow… thank you N! That was a lot of fun."

"It was." The other trained agreed softly. "Touya, you know…" When confirming the other was listening and not staring intently at the ice cream he continued, "I think that was the first time I heard you laugh. You should do it more often."

"N…?" Looking up at the other, the brunet was reminded of that sensation back in the museum – of staring at a mystery, but still being filled with wonder. Come to think of it, N was a mystery. He said a lot of strange things (although today there seemed to be a strange absence of it), and Touya could not even begin to fathom why someone such as N would want to be his friend. But here they both were, carrying ice cream to a dock to have a picnic with Pokémon.

"Your Pokémon say a lot of interesting things about you." N continued (the brunet jumped the gun on thinking there would be no strange words today from the other). "But I think I'm beginning to understand why they do." His voice softened. "I think… I would like to…"

"To what?" The brunet pressed, but then N's head snapped up in surprise.

"Oh, was I thinking aloud?" N chewed his lower lip, and turned his attention to the horizon. The two were now on the wooden pier, the ocean spread before them with sailors passing by or couples gazing into the evening sky together. The green-haired trainer had fallen silent, and the brunet felt unnecessarily guilty for it. He had not realized the other was just sharing his thoughts on accident. What was he thinking about Touya? Were they good things? Bad things? They sounded good, but… and what was the other about to say?

_I would like to what? What would you like, N? I don't understand… I don't understand you at all… but I would like to understand you. In fact, I want to understand you so bad that sometimes it hurts…_

The two sat down on the edge, a comfortable distant between the two with the bags and ice cream settled in the middle. Both let their Pokémon free, and the creatures wasted no time in choosing which flavor they wanted. There were two disagreements, as a couple of flavors were more desired than others… but overall, there was little excitement over who could eat what. When Touya suggested everyone consider sharing tastes, that way he knew what they liked and could get the specific flavor for them next time, the Pokémon settled quickly. N and Touya each ate in silence, both absorbed in their thoughts but two pairs of eyes never left their friends unwatched.

Petilil and Tympole were currently sharing strawberry and chocolate swirl, each taking a curious lick to try and decide if they liked it. The two both shivered at the cold, particularly Petilil. Noticing this, Tympole cuddled closer to the small bud-like creature and both more comfortable shared the cone in addition to warmth. Zorua and Dewott took turns sharing one another's vanilla and white chocolate flavors, pausing on occasion to strike up a friendly conversation that consisted mostly of protective undertones. What is your trainer like? Is your trainer nice to you? Both were equally protective of their trainer, and neither wanted the other human to hurt their particular trainer. If the two had not been so absorbed in the subtle critiques, perhaps both would have noticed their mirroring attempts and realized there was little to worry about. On the surface, anyway. There were always the little things that could sometimes wedge people apart…

"Dewott!" The otter Pokémon finally announced, taking the vanilla (that he liked best) over to the brunette. Zorua on the flip side preferred the white chocolate and took this to her own trainer to try out. Leaning forward, Touya tasted the creamy confection, before making a mildly alarmed face followed by a laugh.

"Oh, that's gross! You've drooled all over it…" The brunet laughed, but rubbed his Pokémon's head all the same. "But it tastes good aside from that. Never thought I'd indirectly kiss my Pokémon, though…"

"His mouth is cleaner than yours, you know." N chimed after trying the offering given to him. "You should be honored he's so willing to swap germs with you."

"Is that right? Then you waited until there was almost nothing left to do that. Thanks for the trust, Dewott." The brunet gave a small, but playful smile. The Dewott made a pleased sound, and snuggled up against his damp human.

"Dewott… Dewott!" _You and N should share your ice cream with each other, if that's the case! Share your icky germs with each other, not us!_

N gave a moment's pause, wondering why hearing that made him suddenly so uncomfortable. For the rare occasion, he said nothing to the Dewott's words. He looked back at the horizon, the sun slowly melting into the ocean. "…Tympole, Scraggy, Zorua?" The three Pokémon immediately looked up, ears and eyes alert. "Are you all three finished?" At their nods, he smiled softly and held out the Poke Balls. "Then we should probably get going. It's getting late." He explained, and glanced back at Touya to offer an apologetic smile. "It was… nice, spending time with your Pokémon and you."

"Oh… thank you." Relief spread through him – so N was not angry at him for having interrupted his thought process twice today. "It was a lot of fun hanging out with you and everyone. Oh, but uhm… sorry about earlier again, and-"

"You've already apologized. No need to do so twice." The other man interrupted. Returning Scraggy and Tympole to their Poke Balls, he picked up Zorua who with a yawn returned to snuggle inside of his ponytail. As he stood, the brunet followed.

"A-all right… but, N?"

"Hmm?"

"Th-thank you…. I really mean it. Thank you so much for spending time with me today. I really… really did enjoy it. Thank you so much, from the bottom of my heart." Touya spoke softly, gratefully, and the way his eyes shone… staring at the other, it suddenly felt as though the brunet was as warm as the sun. The green-haired man looked to the side, feeling the unsettling sensation of discomfort again.

"Y-yes… you're welcome. And thank you for the ice cream. Good bye… and, take care of your Pokémon… and yourself." With a nod, N hurried away. He suddenly wanted to both stay behind and make a wild dash to get as far from the other as he could. Most worrisome, he had no idea why.

Watching N rush off, Touya remained standing there and waving. Once more, the man had befuddled him. N wished him well, but why did he want to get away so quickly? Was he late for something? Had Touya expressed himself too much?

"Pan?" Pansear wondered, and looked to the Blitzle who made a small neigh with a roll of his eyes.

_I hope… I hope you'll have another picnic with me again, N. And then maybe next time, we can all play tag together…_ Touya smiled, hopeful as he looked down at his Pokémon. They all looked up in return, and a few tilted their heads. "What do you guys say to doing this again after the gym, hmm? It could be a treat! Even if we don't win, everyone gets something for trying. Sound like a plan?" At the chorus of cheers, the brunet assumed it was.

* * *

**Disclaimer:** I still do not own nor have any affiliation with the Pokemon franchise. I am still but another fan who purchases the merchandise and games the real owners distribute.  
**A/N:** I would like to give a special thanks to my friends Ayame and Jiru-kun, of whom helped me with this chapter. A lot of you expressed wanting the see the rest of Touya's team, so I picked Pansear (of whom you can get early on if you chose Oshawott) and just kind of went with Blitzle and Petilil. If you guys want to request specific Pokemon he gets later on, please share with me! I am going to try and keep his team at a total of five Pokemon, so that when Zekrom comes in (oh, face it - you know it'll happen) the dragon will automatically be on his team. And all that fun stuff - and yes, I have all kinds of ideas and explanations as to why Touya might not have all the Pokemon he does now later on, so don't let the maximum number make you think I won't deny any suggestions. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! I had fun writing this. Also... nglk wey HOLY CRAP THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL THE REVIEWS! I... I feel so special... I know I shouldn't, but I do and thank you so much... the next chapter might be a bit late, and for that I apologize! Went to a con this past weekend, and it was a blast! (Th-there was the cutest Touya there... I wanted to kidnap her so badly, but I feared it might upset her and her Touko... BUT SHE WAS SO CUUUUTE!))


	4. Chapter 4

**Notice:** This is a long chapter. Also, my Inner Writer and Inner Fangirl got into a wrestling match about how this chapter was to be done, and unfortunately (or fortunately, depending) the Inner Writer won. I apologize. This chapter also contains spoilers. From here on, there will potentially be further spoilers. Just wanted to give the warning to anyone that wanted it. Also, I apologize about the math. If it makes you feel better, my brain melted when trying to incorporate it. If there are any math buffs and notice errors I made, please correct me. Thank you.

* * *

The seat on the bike was awkward, uncomfortable. The handlebars were bare, and if something soft wasn't used to cover them soon Touya knew he would have calluses developing from his fingertips and all the way down his palms. His heart beat was rising, his cheeks flushed, and he felt almost panicked as he rushed after the man and the woman. He didn't understand. Back in Castelia, with Burgh… hadn't that man agreed to concede to Burgh's opinion? Didn't Team Plasma return Munny to Bianca? So why… why were they here again, harassing the daycare man? Had they decided that what Burgh said was not compelling enough…?

…but didn't they all care about Pokemon? So why…?

His head hurt, and his fingers were cramping from holding so tightly onto the handlebars. He hadn't ridden a bike since he was little, and back then Touko had been with them. Neither of the two had been able to ride very well by themselves, but the two were there to support one another. "Those two are just so cute together…" Their neighbors had commented then. She held the bike for him, and he held the bike for her. But now, he was riding all by himself as he chased after phantoms that said one thing and did another.

He didn't understand.

So he was racing through Nimbasa City, using the worn bike given to him by the old man. The Team Plasma members had rushed off, strangely frightened of Touya. That was another thing he had not understood – why? Yes, his Pokemon had defeated theirs… so why were they afraid of Touya, the trainer? He did little more than guide his Pokemon's strengths and assist them in avoiding their weaknesses. Anyone could do it, so what made the brunet so different from everyone else…? Especially when placed in comparison to a man who raised Pokemon for a living? _The friendship between Pokemon and people can be very touching. But, in order to liberate Pokemon from foolish people, we will revive the legend of Unova – and win the hearts and minds of everyone._ It kept ringing in Touya's head, Ghetsis' words.

_Everyone, I end my words here today by imploring you to consider the relationship between people and Pokemon… and the correct way to proceed._ What was the correct way to proceed? He had to catch up to those two members of Team Plasma! Just to talk to them, to ask them to explain why… to explain everything. Their actions contradicted their words. Touya slowed down on his bike, eyes widening as he looked around in bewilderment. Slowing from his gallop at his side was Zebstrika, of who had evolved during the previous battle. In his hurry to chase after Team Plasma, he had simply asked the Pokemon to follow him – and with the loyalty the electric type never wavered in, Zebstrika did so. The creature snorted, nostrils flaring as it stamped a frustrated hoof on the ground. There were people everywhere.

"…do you see them?" Touya asked nervously, his eyes trying to scan over the crowd. There were so many people! So many things! His head spun, never having been to an amusement park – at least he didn't feel insignificant as he had next to the towering buildings of Castelia. Even so… the giant Pikachu bouncing tent, the twisting roller coaster, the twirling Pokeballs… and then there was the Ferris wheel. It was high – rose higher and higher and higher… the brunet immediately looked back down, concentrating on the ground while Zebstrika lightly pressed a soft muzzle against his cheek. Hot breath tickled against his face, and with a forced smile Touya steadied his bike so one hand could reach up and pat the creature on the thick neck.

"Th-thanks… and, I'm sorry… y-you probably want a rest, so I suppose we should…" He did not get a chance to finish, as with another snort Zebstrika left a small splatter of snot on Touya's own neck, before moving away to begin walking again – he refused to go to the Pokemon Center until his trainer's mission was accomplished. While no Audino, Zebstrika still felt the trembling of his trainer. If this needed to be done, this needed to be done. Awkwardly, the brunet got off the bike and began pushed it as he followed after his Pokemon. The two looked around, both of them trying to spot the token red hair and blue-gray uniforms of Team Plasma.

Zebstrika gave sharp glances at people as they walked by, particularly when they murmured or spoke. He snorted at them, or would jerk his head to get them to move out of his way. Hurrying to keep pace with him, Touya whispered, "It's okay… don't mind them… it's okay…" He tried to soothe the Pokemon. When a Blitzle, he had been a bit haughty – apparently with evolution he had gotten worse. One final snort, and the creature's muscles sagged a bit but the effort was there – he would settle if asked nicely, and he had been. "There you go…"

"…Touya?" A familiar voice called. Zebstrika whipped his head around, ears perked forward as he stood perfectly still to zero in on whoever called after his trainer. Recognizing the voice, Touya placed a hand on the creature's side while the other hand continued to support the bike.

"N?" The brunet blinked. And there he was – Zorua on his shoulder as usual, getting up off a bench next to the giant Pikachu bouncing tent. Children were running around, piling in and out of the inflated attraction and paying little mind to the green-haired man. There was something… off, about him though. The brunet's brows furrowed, trying to make out his expression. It was a smile… but it wasn't the same kind he saw in Castelia. This one as different… not reaching his eyes, and not as warm. Had something happened? "Are you… are you okay?"

He was such an idiot. What kind of greeting was that? The other trainer's face quickly changed to surprise, followed by bewilderment. "I'm fine Touya. I was actually about to ask you that… he seems very… did something happen?" _He? Oh – right. Zebstrika._

"He just evolved… and there were these people, and I… we…" Touya trailed, trying to organize how to explain what had happened without explaining anything at all. He did not want to drag the other into this. The other merely nodded, and reached out with a hand to the electric-type. Zebstrika sniffed his hand, flared his nostrils again, and then looked to the brunet. "H-he's fine. Don't you remember him from last week? Castelia, with the ice cream?" That was all it took, and Zebstrika leaned forward to nuzzle the offered hand.

"Zebstrika's can be ill-tempered sometimes. You should probably work with him more in an open space. You just evolved, and you have all this power and energy… you just want to stretch your legs, don't you?" N inquired, his other hand reaching up to lightly rub between the creature's ears. The Pokemon gave a heavy sigh, head lowering slightly in the gentle caresses. As he petted the Pokemon, N's own eyes were half-lidded and his lips were pulled into a thin line of restraint. The man leaned forward, and whispered something softly. Zebstrika snorted, gave a short neigh before jerking his head away with yet another snort.

"What'd you say to him?" Touya asked, only to flush slightly realizing how nosy he sounded. "Oh, uhm… but if it's personal, y-you don't have to…"

"It was just a little question. Don't worry so much." N said softly, and watched as the electric zebra checked around himself to make sure he did not step on anyone as he backed up to stand more firmly next to his trainer. "What were you trying to say? I'm sorry, there's quite a bit on my mind at the moment…" _And he still wanted to talk to me?_ Touya tried to ignore the small spark of hope in his chest, and the giddy sensation at someone actually wanting to speak with him as a person. Since traveling on this journey, the only people he met seemed more interested in either Pokemon battles or stealing Pokemon. He wondered if Cheren and Bianca were having better luck making new friends…? He swallowed, throat suddenly dry and he felt all the more nervous now. He couldn't ruin his chance…!

"There were these people… they uhm, I have some questions…" Touya continued to trail. And all at once, N seemed to relax – his shoulders lowering slightly, just so slightly and if the brunet did not know any better he seemed relieved. Why? Had he been worried about Touya?

"I see. Who were they? Perhaps I can help you find them." N offered, and tentatively offered his hand to the other. "It's a large park. I'm sure if we work together, we can track them down." Zebstrika let out an indignant snort, and stomped his hoof down in annoyance. "I don't have to, if you don't want me to…"

"No, uhm…" Stammering, almost panicked he looked up to the electric type. "C-could he please help us…?" The brunet asked, giving the creature his most imploring eyes. Passerbyers clucked their tongues at seeing a trainer begging his Pokemon for something, but he ignored them and N did little more than stiffen at their comments. With a final snort and slump of his own shoulders, Zebstrika relented. Casting an annoyed glance in N's direction he gave a small whinny, _I'm free enough, and WE don't need your help. You're just lucky he wants human friends, too._ Touya's Pokemon said interesting things indeed. "Thank you!" Still holding onto the bike with one hand, the brunt gave Zebstrika a quick hug before eagerly taking N's still outstretched hand. "W-we would appreciate your help! Thank you so much, N…"

The older male nodded slightly, and he let his hand slowly fall to let go of the brunet's. But instead of his arm falling to his side, Touya had not let his hand go. Curiously he glanced back to the other and raised a slight brow in silent inquiry.

"Oh, s-sorry…!" Touya flushed, and quickly detangled his fingers from N's. "I just… it's so busy, and there's a lot of people and… I'm really, really sorry… I'm sorry, I just didn't…"

"Want to get separated?" N finished for the other, and the brunet nodded hurriedly in response. "That's fine. I'll stay close, then." He assured, and when receiving a grateful smile from Touya he gave his own. Softly he reached forward, and took the brunet's hand into his own again. Fingers wrapped tightly around his hand, and the green-haired trainer briefly wondered if Touya was always this nervous or simply nervous around him. And then there was that feeling again – that slight fluttering, wriggling sensation in his stomach. N took in a deep breath, trying to do so as subtly as he could while walking next to the other. The goal was to suffocate that sensation, let that feeling curl up and fade into nothing but a passing memory. The four began to walk through the crowd, Zorua clambering on top of his head for a better view of their surroundings.

_You won't actually take him to them, will you?_ She asked softly, bending down slightly to whisper into his ear so that Zebstrika would not overhear. N said nothing in reply, but gave a mild roll of his shoulders. So he had a plan then. She had no idea what this plan entailed, but she trusted her friend if nothing else. He did what he had to do while keeping who would suffer and who would benefit in mind at all times. Just so happened that he kept the Pokemon's benefit in mind more than a human's. In a way, she almost felt sorry for the brunet. He seemed like a nice human, friendly enough… and Zorua believed that N needed some human companionship as well. Yes, N claimed to be content enough with Pokemon… but there were moments where she was unsure. Yes, he had interaction with the Grunts and Sages. But speaking to a person as a king to a subordinate was not the same as just plain being a person.

He wanted someone to be a person with, even if he wasn't aware that he did.

And he could not be a person to a Pokemon, especially one that had been abused by a person.

All four were now near one of the rides, the spinning Pokeballs. "So, Touya… I was wondering… who exactly are we looking for?" N inquired, and glanced down at the other. The brunet tensed, and began worrying his lower lip as he tried to think of a way to respond to that.

_A pair of people,_ Zebstrika snorted ominously while eyeing the green-haired male. _Or more._ Hearing this, Zorua repressed a grin. Apparently this electric-type was onto them. Probably put two and two together when N asked if the creature felt free where he was earlier. He was having an awfully violent reaction to them, though. What silly blunder had the grunts committed this time to upset a Pokemon so much?

"Uhm… you know…" Touya's voice lowered, and he looked down with a tinge of shame. He kept making stupid mistake after stupid mistake. How could he just drag N into something like this? This was a person that could potentially be his friend, and here he was taking advantage of his good nature. Team Plasma was… what they did to Pokemon, it would hurt N! The man was always communicating with his Pokemon, treating Touya's with such kindness and respect… surely he was a breeder, or something along those lines. He would be devastated to hear of people like Team Plasma! "A-actually, N… you mentioned earlier there was a lot on your mind, and maybe I shouldn't…"

"It helps keep my mind off of things I would rather not think about. It is fine, Touya." N assured him again, and gave the brunet's hand a gentle squeeze. "You should worry less about what I think or how I feel, and worry more about what you should say and do that is best for your Pokemon and yourself. Start there, and you will just… automatically do what is best for all involved. All right? Now…" Rubbing Zorua's ear he looked to the small line before the ride. "I realize you are looking for person or two, but… do you think perhaps you have time for a quick ride? It might help you calm down. Maybe then you can tell me what I'm supposed to help you look for." He offered.

Touya looked at the little line, and then looked to Zebstrika. He opened his mouth, closed it, before opening it again while looking away almost shyly. "H-he won't fit in there…" He finally admitted. Hearing this, Zebstrika stood proud and did his best to look down on N. _That's a no, in case you didn't catch it._ N smiled lightly at the creature's words, both amused and confused.

"That's all right. Perhaps we can find a ride he can fit in as well…" N offered, and then released the brunet's free hand so he could take the bike from the younger.

"Hey, wait…"

"Though I think I should carry this for you, so your Pokemon can have more of your attention. Besides, if you see them and need to rush after this would just slow you down." N reasoned, and began to push the bicycle ahead. Touya and Zebstrika immediately followed, the brunet issuing apologies and thanks while his Pokemon gave derivative snorts. "Touya… have you ever considered how much goes into riding a bike?"

"Wh-what?"

"Maintaining the right velocity for keeping balance while you ride along on two wheels, the design of the bike to keep your weight centered so that you don't have to worry so much about falling off. Did you learn how to ride when you were young?" At the nod, N continued. "The human mind is amazing in how much calculations it performs without knowing any of the formulas. Most children can ride a two-wheel bike before they even know their multiplication tables. They don't even know what algebra means, or geometry… oh, they know about shapes. But most children don't know what A=π · r² is. Do you?" A shake of the head. "That's the area of a circle. Very important to keep in mind when designing the wheels for a bike and the size of the person the bike is intended for. The area is also important in use for the design of something like a Ferris Wheel…

…do you see what I am getting at?" N finally finished, and tilted his head slightly at the brunet. Touya simply stood there, staring wide-eyed at the other. The older male frowned slightly, and looked ahead realizing that no – Touya had no idea where he was coming from with that speech at all.

"Y-you want to go on the Ferris Wheel?" The brunet asked tentatively.

"Perhaps." N's lips gave a small quirk. "I'm not sure."

"If I'm keeping you and Zorua from having fun, I'm so sorry… just… Zebstrika and I can find Team Plasma on our own, I'm really sorry I don't… oh…"

"So that's who you are looking for." N's eyes twinkled, almost mischievous. Touya wanted to shrink away in sudden shame, but at the same time he was… intrigued. The more he thought about it though, he had met the other for the first time at Ghetsis' speech a few towns ago. Perhaps he was curious as well. Maybe that was what was on his mind.

"Y-yes." Touya nodded, a bit hesitantly. Zebstrika stamped an annoyed hoof, and flared his nostrils threateningly at N and Zorua.

_We won't hurt Touya, don't worry._ Zorua said gently, trying to soothe the creature.

_I'll crush you if you dare._ Someone was overprotective… and Zorua wanted to think unnecessarily so. But then again, she did not know much about this Pokemon other than the basics.

"So… you're looking for Team Plasma, right? Come with me." And N began leading the way with purposeful strides and Touya followed after filled with curiosity. The Pokemon came along as well, though one was more resistant to the idea. Had N seen them without Touya? It was possible… his insides turned into a mess of mixing emotions. They would both be getting the answers they sought, and then what? When the two reached the Ferris wheel, both looked around as they tried to pierce through the crowd. Trying to find someone, anyone. "They're not here." N paused, and he turned to the brunet. "Let's ride the Ferris wheel then, and see if we can spot them." His voice was becoming more hurried, faster.

Touya looked to Zebstrika, who was glancing at the small boxes. He snorted, and violently shook his head. No. _No, he is not going on that without me he is not going alone you'll hurt him I know you will…!_

"What if he were to let another Pokemon out, and accompany him? You can take a moment to explain to your friend what worries you so, as well." N suggested, and smiled slightly. Interesting things… he was starting to become intrigued by this Pokemon as well. These types were generally Pokemon who had been abused and then taken in by a kinder trainer, but became particularly unfriendly to other humans. Paranoid, almost. He wanted to speak with Zebstrika alone, but at the same time… "Zorua, would you mind remaining with Zebstrika?" He asked. She nodded, and looked up at the creature. He snorted, but relented.

"D-do you want me to let anyone out in particular?" Touya inquired, looking at the electric type. Zebstrika lightly nudged his face, and gave a soft lick. He didn't care – he knew the others well enough that they would protect the brunet regardless of the circumstances. Touya laughed softly, and nodded. "Okay, okay…" And he let Dewott out, who gave a yawn and a stretch. Spotting N, the creature gave a friendly wave and hello.

"Are we set then?" N asked, already having set the bike to rest against a trash can. Dewott was listening to Zebstrika neigh his warnings, while Zorua patiently listened and occasionally offered her own two cents in regards to the creature's opinions.

"Almost, it looks like…" Touya nodded.

"Very well. You know… I love Ferris wheels. The circular motion… the mechanics… they're like a collection of elegant formulas." N started, before silencing himself. He seemed almost giddy. The brunet found himself smiling despite how awkward he felt, and the fluttering in his chest and stomach. He was going to be riding a Ferris wheel with N. Just him and N (and Dewott, of course). Why did that make his heart beat so much? Why was he so hopeful about this…?

"You must be a math person. You've been talking about formulas and stuff…" Touya flushed, wondering if using such a vague word as 'stuff' was really such a good idea to someone who knew so much about the subject. That was about the equivalent to stapling a sign to his head that said, "I know nothing about math. Not even the formula for finding the area to a circle."  
Waddling over to the two, Dewott announced he was ready to go on a ride. Yes, he had listened to Zebstrika's warnings but… he failed to see how or why the other just assumed N was part of Team Plasma. That was a silly thing. Team Plasma hurt people. N would never hurt a person. And then the trio headed towards the line, and like a proper gentlemen N even let the brunet get on first. Dewott still failed to see the man as threatening, except perhaps in receiving Touya's attentions. Perhaps that was what got under Zebstrika's tail – jealousy.

"Have you ever thought about how these work?" N asked, looking out the window with Touya sitting across from him doing the same. "So much engineering went into designing this so it would work. And even then, sometimes it breaks down… " He paused, noticing the brunet tense at the mention of 'breaking down.' He smiled lightly, and reached forward to offer his hand as a small source of comfort. "It won't. Don't worry so much." He assured. Touya gave a forced smile, but awkwardly took the hand regardless. The grip was tight, and the brunet's palms were sweaty… but he seemed to calm down again thanks to the simple offering. Dewott hopped onto the seat next to his trainer, making the Poke ball shaped box sway and Touya tense further. N chuckled at him, while Dewott latched onto his trainer becoming nervous from the swaying motion as well. "As I was saying… we're fine. You see, physics are involved, both the math and the reality.

There's even geometry – look, the Ferris wheel is circle shaped, but has triangular attachments between the outside and center, making each branch a radius of the circumference… and in each triangle, there's a square shape. They use Ferris wheels in trigonometry, you know." He chuckled softly. "If two people and a Pokemon get on a Ferris wheel, weighing a total of one-hundred and thirty-eight kilograms with the Ferris wheel moving at a speed of…"

"A-ah… please… don't…" Touya whimpered, clutching at his head. Noticing, N smiled softly but did as requested. The two fell into a comfortable silence, each looking out the window into the amusement park below for different reasons. The two were still holding hands, even though Touya seemed more comfortable. N sucked in a deep breath. This was the defining moment. There was no further avoiding what needed to be done. The brunet was growing and blossoming as a person. He was learning, and wanting to learn. He treated his Pokemon kindly. He was a good person. He was…

…N shook his head, needing to desperately stay on-topic. At length, he spoke knowing what he had to say – regardless of what his response would be… but at the thought of receiving a negative reaction, his chest tightened. That thing he tried to suffocate earlier tried to suffocate him in return. "Touya, about the formulas… where I was going with it is… everything works in a specific way." Though the brunet was not looking at him, he knew Touya was listening and was interested. "Pokemon… and people… we have all evolved alongside one another. Pokemon respond to nature, and we respond to Pokemon. Just as what numbers you put into a calculation determine the outcome, what one does to the other affects what happens to each.

I wanted to ask you… you see…" He was nervous. In this situation, he could not afford to be nervous. Touya stopped looking out the window, and tilted his head lightly at the other. N took a deep breath, calmed himself, and plowed on ahead. "First, I must tell you…" His hold on the other's hand tensed slightly, and he felt a small squeeze in reply. The other was trying to comfort him. Make him feel better, encourage him to continue. There was nothing to be afraid of – Touya was there for him, as he had been there for Touya. The sensation of warmth traveling from where their skin touched and traveled up his arm was the more frightening of what N was feeling, and he wanted to stop feeling it entirely.

And Touya just stared at him with wide eyes, hope-filled. Touya watched the other, as he switched from nervous to serious. The brunet's throat constricted, catching everything and holding it inside. He could not speak. What did N have to tell him? Between the heights of reaching the apex of the Ferris wheel, and the way N was acting he felt dizzy. Light-headed. And full of hope. His head was putting words into N's mouth that the brunet did not quite understand but he wanted the other to say more than he had ever wanted anything before. It ached. Seconds were taking an eternity, because the other was about to say something and had yet to say it.

"I am the King of Team Plasma." And then everything shattered and crumpled because that was not what the brunet had anticipated on hearing, in the past or even after actually hearing it. The voice was N's, the rushed and factual manner of speech was N's… but that could not be N. Distantly, the brunet was aware that his face fell but he was too busy trying to make sense of this new information to realize how insensitive that was. From afar he realized his hand had let go of the others, the brunet's hand falling limply to his side while N's briefly clutched at something that was not there before slowly retreating to his own side. "Ghetsis asked me asked me to work with him to save the Pokemon. I wonder how many Pokemon are in this world…" N had to change the subject, regardless of how abrupt. He had to distract himself, but still remain on topic.

Was that what the formulas had to do with all of this, Touya wondered? How many Pokemon there were? But, no… that did not make sense either. He was still trying to swim through this knowledge, but instead Touya felt like he was drowning. Dewott put a paw on his leg, tiny fingers clutching onto the fabric to gently ask, _Are you all right?_

"Touya?" N began softly, and reached forward with a hand to pull the brunet out of his shock. The other flinched slightly before fingers ever made contact with a knee. The green-haired king pulled his hand away, recognizing when his touch was not wanted. Years of working with the abused and abandoned had taught him that much. "I realize this is a bit of a shock… and I apologize for keeping it a secret from you." He continued, his voice closer to a whisper. "But… your Pokemon were interesting, as were you. I wanted to learn more about you and your Pokemon, and as I did…" His eyes slid to their corners, watching the world from the side as he tentatively made his next few steps.

"Touya… would you like to join us? You are very kind to your Pokemon. You treat them well, and they care deeply for you. You work so well with them… and I know as you learn more, and understand more you can do so much for Pokemon. Please… join Team Plasma. Help us make this world a better place for Pokemon." His speech finished, he silently waited for the brunet to respond. The other remained quiet, and N felt the most distant stirrings of panic. Why was Touya hesitating? Why did he say nothing? Moments ago, he had been so hopeful… eager…

…what had he expected the other to say instead? What had the brunet wanted to hear that was better than what N just did? He personally invited the other to do something for the greater good. This was something he thought Touya might understand, and wish to partake in. What else was there? He thought he understood the other, but now… N straightened his back, and shoved the panic into a corner so roughly with luck he would metaphorically knock it unconscious.

"Touya?" He repeated.

"…I don't… N… why?" Touya asked, his voice cracking slightly. He was trying to ignore the tears, the burning in his eyes and his heart. The ache that replaced the hope.

"Because you're a good person, Touya." N replied, no hesitation or question in his voice. "I think you would be a wonderful addition to Team Plasma-"

"No. No, I mean… why?" The brunet pulled tighter into himself, not wanting the other to see him cry. This was a silly thing to cry over, wasn't it? Silly. Silly and stupid. Just like him. What had he been expecting, anyway? Of course N was not being nice to him and helping him because he wanted to be friends. He just wanted to know more about Touya as a person. Know if he was a help or a hindrance. He shuddered. All of his experiences with Team Plasma, they had not been kind people. Or at least, not kind to people. Ghetsis seemed… potentially kind. Was it just the grunts? Was there someone else? How much was and was not under direct orders of N? Was N behind the abuse of that Munna? Was he behind stealing Bianca's Munna, or that girl's Pokemon?

How much of Team Plasma was N?

"I apologize, Touya. I am not sure what you are asking why in regards to." There was a genuine remorse in not knowing how to answer. Hearing that from N, Touya at least had that. At least he knew that N was still a kind person, and that was not just a figment of his silly imagination.

"Why… Team Plasma…? Why do…" His throat clamped tight again, and he had to take a deep breath through his nose before he could continue. "I understand… what drives you. It's noble of so many people trying so hard to help Pokemon. To make the world a better and safer place for Pokemon. But why do…" He finally brought himself to look the other in the eye, because no matter how ashamed he was of crying in front of N…

…he would have been more ashamed of wanting to hide from reality. He wanted to hear the answer, and look the other in the eyes to know whether he was telling the truth or not. "…why do you do things… the way you do?"

"The way we do things?" N repeated, and furrowed his brow slightly. "…ah. Mmm." He nodded. "I think I know what you mean, now. Why do we steal Pokemon from their 'trainers?' We don't steal Pokemon from every 'trainer'…" He trailed, tensed slightly, before forcing himself to relax and continue. "When we catch a 'trainer' abusing their Pokemon, we rescue that Pokemon. It is cruel and senseless to just watch someone continue to harm an innocent creature. Just watching…" His hands tightened into clenched fists. "It's as wrong as the act itself. You are passively encouraging such behavior. I… we… Team Plasma, we won't stand for that.

But… it isn't enough. I… Team Plasma can't be everywhere, all the time. We need more strength. More eyes. More people. More…" He stopped, his busy stream of speech halting briefly in an almost train wreck of rushed words. "Touya. Will you join Team Plasma, or not?" The Ferris wheel was almost at the end. In a few more seconds, the two would exit. N, though he had been talking and distracting Touya, noticed the two members catch sight of him. Naturally, they were worried. Naturally, they were going to expose themselves in front of the brunet for the sake of ensuring the safety of their King.

He had never asked for such loyalty, but there it was. But in return, he had to ensure their safety. If Touya was not going to join them, and refuse to listen… there was that tightening, that sudden pang and suffocation. It didn't matter. If Touya was going to refuse, then N would just… he did not want to, but there was not much of a choice he had.

"I… don't understand enough." Touya finally answered in a small whisper. "What I've seen Team Plasma do… they don't match what any of you say. Your actions contradict your words… N, I just… I don't understand. I can't join a cause if I don't understand it. I'm… I'm so sorry…" The brunet's voice kept getting smaller, trailing away into a nothingness of apologies.

"…I see." N took a deep breath, and nodded. "Very well." And the ride stopped. Politely, he let Touya and Dewott exit first. Zorua bounded over to him, huffing and puffing with information while the Zebstrika practically ran people over in a hurried rush to see what was wrong with Touya. The green-haired man could feel the creature planning his demise. _What did you do to the boy?_ Zorua clucked. "I offered him a choice." N replied softly. She clucked again, but said little more.

"My Lord N!" A female grunt cried, tears in her eyes as she rushed over with her male partner accompanying her.

"You're safe, sire!" The male grunt exclaimed, relief on his face as the two approached the man. The two looked between one another, before sharing a nod and standing between their king and the brunet.

"There's no problem." N sighed, and gently nudged the two away from him. The grunts looked from their king, and then to the Zebstrika – death written clearly on his face for the man. Understandably, they were dubious about there being 'no problem.' He cleared his throat, becoming more authoritive with their presence. The mixed emotions from seconds ago were abandoned, ignored and unwanted in the presence of N's calling. Of what he had to do, and not what he wanted to do. "You're part of the people we brought in to help us save the Pokemon. So, you're under my protection, as well. Go, quickly, and let my battle cover your retreat… Now then, Touya, do you follow my logic?"

The brunet looked from trying to restrain his Zebstrika, and felt the pang as he was reminded – again – of what just happened. "I… no… I'm sorry…" Why did he have to keep rubbing it in? Zebstrika roared – actually **roared** – and if he could get around his trainer without having hurt him, he would have. Touya ignored the growing fear in his chest as the heavy Pokemon tried to get around him and to his target.

And N… N was the perfect model for restraint. He nodded his head, unbothered by Zebstrika's threats. "So that's how it is… That's unfortunate. Ah." His eyes lit up, as if struck by a sudden realization. The face, briefly, flickered a feeling of regret but it was gone quickly as it came. "Then… the future I envision…" He shook his head and reached down to one of his Pokeballs. Zorua sighed, ears drooping as she watched the events unfold before crawling into his ponytail. She didn't wish to watch. "My friend, please provide some help!" He requested and threw the Poke ball – a male Sandile came out, eyes flickering and taking in his surroundings before giving a decisive nod. A snap of the jaws.

"Wa-wait, N…" Touya began, only to stumble backwards as Zebstrika finally sidestepped around his trainer to charge forward towards the green-haired trainer. Dewott's eyes widened, as the electric type barreled forwards in an angry rage.

_This won't end well…_

Zorua didn't want to watch.

* * *

**A/N: **AUUGGGHHHH. Yes. You read that correctly. NO WORRIES! Things get better next chapter! After things get mildly worse. But only mildly. This piece is geared more towards fluff stuff, and unfortunately for fluff we need DRAMA! DRAMA-LLAMA-RAMA. Or something. I don't know. Anyway... Currently Touya's final team is looking to be a Reuniclus, Emolga, Zekrom, Samurott, Scolipede, and Chandelure based on votes. Someone suggested a Pokemon that can learn Fly, of whom will probably take Zekrom's place until that point in the... story? So! Cast in your votes, ladies and gentlemen! Next chapter we have a Touko sighting, but first... POKEMON BATTLE TIME! DUN DUN DUN...! (Due to popular request I actually write out the battles)  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own nor have any affiliation with the Pokemon franchise. If I did, however, you can be sure there would have been an excessive amount of philosophical ethics and some transcendentalism as well. This is probably for the best.


	5. Chapter 5

The man and Touko finished speaking, and she returned to her brother and friend with a large case and wide grin. "All right. We're going to put on a show, and it's going to be the best show anyone in this whole place has ever seen!" With that statement, she motioned the two to follow her through the blue door. On the far side of the backstage were the trainers and their Pokémon preparing for the "A Sweet Soiree," meanwhile in their own little area was the trio. Touko set down the case, and unclipped the locks.

"But… Touko…" Touya began, and silenced when his fraternal twin held up her hand to silence him.

"It'll be fine." She said her voice thick with multiple layers of thoughts and emotions. Lifting the lid, Bianca looked between its contents and her childhood male friend. "You've known Cinccino since she was a Minccino. She'll happily work with you. And…" She trailed, blue eyes looking away as she tried to find a way to say the truth. "It'll be fine, Touya."

"He'll be fine." Bianca added, and gave a fleeting smile to the boy. "Zebstrika will be okay." She continued and reached rub to rub his shoulder in what she hoped was a comforting fashion. He flinched slightly at the name and touch, and with a slight frown the blonde awkwardly pulled her hand away. She turned to Touko, hoping the other could help in anyway.

"S-sorry, Bianca…" Touya stammered instead, slowly withdrawing into himself. "It's just… I'm… I'm sorry…"

"…come on. Bianca, you have your Pokémon. Touya," Touko stepped around the blonde and the Prop Case, and reached to place her hands on her sibling's shoulders, paying no mind to the shudder he gave at the contact. "Hey. Listen to me. Zebstrika will be fine. Okay? You need to keep your mind off of that, at least until they finish surgery. So… will you try? At least for me? Worrying won't do anything…"

"…I know." Touya replied quietly, his voice far-off. His twin sighed, knowing full-well that this statement meant absolutely nothing. Reaching to her side, she pulled out a Great Ball and handed it to her brother who stared blankly at the item. "You remember Cinccino. She'll be happy to work with her. Find something cute for my girl. Okay?" And with a wink, Touko walked over to rummage through the various Pokémon Props and accessories she had gathered over her journey. Normally, she would have been worrying about something so girly bothering her brother. But in this case, she was almost hoping he would whine, complain, or at least sulk about doing something so stereotypically feminine. But no, instead he quietly let the Pokémon out and began to do as he was told. Touko sighed.

The three settled on doing the Forest Stroll, and Touko was dressing up her Whimsicott. Next to her was Bianca who was working with her Munna and Pignite, the two Pokémon helping each other and their trainer in their decorations. Sitting down, Touya looked at Cinccino who looked back up at him only with curiosity. She had not seen him in months – since she had last seen her trainer's brother, she had come in contact with a Moon Stone and countless battles. Why did he seem so sad now? Well, she could not have this. With a huff, the fluffy Pokémon immediately dove at the brunet. He yelped, startled by the sudden 'attack.'

His calls of alarms quickly turned to those of giggles, as Cinccino snuggled beneath his shirt and utilizing a harmless version of her Tickle attack. She had mastered this technique from times when Touko had been sad and homesick. And now she was using her white trails of fur to tickle the brunet's sensitive stomach in an unrelenting attack on his bout of self-pity. Touko, Bianca, and the other three Pokémon looked up from what they were doing as none of them had quite expected to hear laughter from the lone male human.

"C-Cinccino…!" Touya gasped, wriggling around as he tried to escape the attack while simultaneously removing the gray and white creature from under his clothes. "S-stop it!" He laughed, and his only response was a happy squeal from the creature. Watching this, Touko and Bianca fell into their own fits of giggles, both silently agreeing that he could handle the devious creature just fine on his own.

"We're doing A Forest Stroll, right?" The blonde asked between laughs and got a nod of confirmation. "Hahah… popular with the girls, right? Well then! I hear doing quirky things can set your Pokémon apart… Pignite, what do you say to this sword?" Bianca wondered, and her starter hopped up and down while making grabby fingers at the item.

"That has a pretty good Appeal." Touko commented with a grin, and burst back into laughter when Cinccino ran by carrying Touya's hat, and the boy chasing after her. When he finally caught up to the normal type, Cinccino simply crawled back up his pants and resumed tickling him again.

"Is she always like that?" Bianca laughed as well, and beamed when adjusting the top hat on Munna's head. The creature cooed, and moved forward to nuzzle against her trainer's thigh.

"Always is an understatement." Touko chuckled, and glanced at Bianca for a moment before looking away. "Well then, Whimsical. I think you look pretty snazzy, what do you think?" The brunette inquired, and turned a mirror around so the Whimsicott could inspect her new look. Sunglasses were pushed back on her forehead, and she was wearing a cape along with a pompom to match her fluffy factor.

"Whim!" The creature squealed, and hopped up onto Touko's lap to snuggle against her trainer.

"Pretty as Touko!" Bianca complimented, smiling away blissfully while the brunette girl stammered and blubbered and what?

"B-Bianca!" Touko whined, before playfully punching the blonde in the shoulder. The other girl simply continued to laugh, and actually had to wipe at her eyes from laughing so much.

"Haha… I never knew how much I missed hanging with you two until now… hah…" Calming down, Bianca took a deep breath and positively beamed at the other girl. "And I still think it's so cute how you and Touya both stammer so much when you get embarrassed! You're both so shy, it's adorable!"

"Bianca…!"

"You can keep saying my name, but that doesn't change you two do!"

"Help…!" Touya wailed in the background between fits of laughter and gasps. Seeing that the boy was ready to collapse, Cinccino finally stopped. She rubbed her face against his belly – and then blew a raspberry before running out from beneath his shirt and over to the Prop Case. "Ah! …nnmm… Touko, what are you teaching them?" The brunet gasped, remaining lying on the floor with streaks of tears on his face from having laughing so hard and so much from the severe tickling.

"To have fun." Touko shot back with a wink. "Come on you Slowpoke – Cinccino isn't even ready yet!"

…

…

…

_Would our trainers battle each other for us?_ Scraggy had asked earlier. Touya's Petilil had answered without hesitation a simple, _of course_. Of course the two humans would battle each other if their Pokémon needed to. Of course. Her words rotated in his mind like the Merry-Go-Round back in Nimbasa City, N's mind a broken record of that conversation. His head ached, as did most of his body – both inside and out. He and his two Team Plasma members had since made their escape, and were currently residing in hiding at the nearby Anville Town. There was an elderly couple that let the three stay there, accepting their lie without question: we wanted to be here during the weekdays to watch the trains, as we really aren't so much interested in the mass tradings as the trains and who can watch the trains with all those people anyway?

The King of Team Plasma did not so much think them gullible, as he did kindly and more willing to take the easy route rather than the difficult route.

Anville Town was tiny and, without the trains, an uninteresting location. Technology was the only way it popped out in the eyes of humans, but N saw what none of them did. There were wild Pokémon all over the place. Some were hiding, some were obvious. They were hesitant and curious, and all of them stayed away from the tracks with a terror that spoke volumes of what had happened to their predecessors. Disgusting what people did sometimes, in the name of their battles.

Disgusting what humans did. Disgusting, ugly, monsters they could be sometimes.

Sitting in the chair, staring blankly at his lap N was reminded once more than he was a disgusting human himself. Much as he wanted to be pure, to be above what biology forced him to be… there was not perpetual denying his humanity. He did everything in the name of freeing Pokémon, but earlier that day he had made a grave mistake. A stupid error and one he thought about only so he could understand how it happened better. He had to make sure it did not happen again. Lying curled up on his lap, Zorua kept both of her ears perked up and one eye open as she kept a wary watch on her friend.

Earlier, Zebstrika was a wild creature. Pure, unfiltered, and the embodiment of years of human cruelty towards each other and Pokémon. Sandile stood before the white and black creature, a defiant being prepared to lay down his life in the name of protecting N. That was not what the man wanted. Pokémon battles fueled by emotion were the most dangerous, as it made all sides blind and every decision stupid. In the wild, when Pokémon fought one another it was out of necessity. They fought over territory, mates, food, and depending on the species there could be fights over who was alpha. Battles were not for fun, aside from play fighting when the young learned how to harness their unique abilities and attacks.

N had ordered his Sandile to use Sand Storm, knowing full-well that the attack would slow the creature down and give the man and his Pokémon time to move out of the way of the raging creature. Zebstrika roared again, flaring his nostrils and stampeding after despite the sand scratching at his flanks and digging into his eyes. Touya raced after the creature, yelling after him to stop, please stop… Dewott was following, crying after Zebstrika and begging the electric type to calm down, could he not hear their trainer?

And Zebstrika continued to pursue the Team Plasma members and King. He barreled through crowds, frightening the inhabitants of Nimbasa's amusement park. Everyone recognized a Pokemon out of control, and what did they do? They pulled out their cell phones to call Pokemon Control; they ran and cowered beneath Zebstrika's violence. No one released their Pokemon, some of which probably knew Hypnosis or Yawn. An idea struck N, and he released Scraggy.

"Use Swagger!" He called breathlessly. The move was dangerous, as the last thing Zebstrika needed was a boost in his might – but at the same time, the creature would be confused and hopefully that would be enough to let the Plasma members to escape with their lives and no harm done to the electric type. Perhaps then Touya could even calm the creature down, assure him that he was okay and everything was okay…

…but Touya wasn't okay then, was he? Would he lie and suffer for his Pokémon's benefit? N had no doubt that he would. That was the type of person her was, and realizing this in the present caused N's chest to constrict. He made Touya suffer, and he could not even begin to fathom or understand how. N thought the brunet would have been excited, but instead… what happened?

Those hours ago, when the brunet realized what N was doing he released Petilil. The plant-type came out to a scene of chaos, and N had no idea what her initial response to it was but the brunet asked her to use Sleep Powder on Zebstrika and requested Dewott to assist her. People were screaming, and by then Zebstrika was confused and angry. That, N decided, had probably been his stupidest mistake. Zebstrika began charging everything blindly then.

Everything, except Touya.

The second the creature realized who it was about to ram into, Zebstrika made a turn too sharp to avoid hitting him. The problem with confusing Pokemon was that sometimes they hurt themselves. In this case, Zebstrika's scream was blood-curling and silenced the entire park. N and the Team Plasma members paused, feeling the horror of the situation rising. Petilil used Sleep Powder, which was enough to let the injured beast fall into a sleep in which the pain could still be felt but not so severely. Touya ran to Zebstrika's side, and began checking and feeling and desperately wanting to know if his Pokemon was okay. N ordered his female member to get someone from the Pokemon Center immediately.

A day with so much potential had been ruined so horribly by him.

And now, hours later, N was mulling over his mistakes and wondering if there was any way to redeemed himself. His Scraggy had stayed behind, experiencing guilt on his part as to what happened. When Scraggy returned, he told N about his conversation with Petilil. N listened, and hugged his friend and apologized over and over again because how stupid had he been…? Yes, the King could make excuses for himself – he was frightened for himself and Sandile, he was worried that if Zebstrika hurt someone then some city official would demand the Pokemon be put down for being a danger to human beings…

…but that did not excuse thinking that confusing an angry Pokemon was a good idea. For Arceus' sake, how stupid had such a thought been? N could not stop berating himself, and now an innocent Pokemon had broken his leg or worse as a result. _It wasn't just your fault…_ Zorua sighed, and lifted her head gently to rub her cheek against the palm of his hand. He smiled weakly, and moved to caress his fingers against her face.

"Yes. Yes it was…" N lamented, and slumped further into his chair with a sigh. "I knew better and yet…"

"_Zebstrika did not listen to Touya. If he had, then he would not have ended up nearly hurting his trainer-"  
_

"And friend." N's smile rose slightly.

"_- and ultimately, himself". _Zorua finished, and then she sighed. "_Though, I suppose he would not have been as angry if you had not upset Touya. What did you do to that poor child?"_ At her words, N flinched slightly.

"I invited him to join Team Plasma. I didn't expect such a thing to hurt him… I thought he would be happy." N murmured, eyelids fluttering until his eyes were half-lidded.

"_I see" ._Mulling this over, Zorua shrugged and rubbed her nose against his palm in a wet nuzzle. "_Zebstrika was only angry because he did not want another human trainer of his to suffer. His last trainer had been murdered by another human. He has never experienced human cruelty towards Pokemon – only human cruelty towards each other. Zebstrika merely did not want to lose another human he cared so much for, because of another human."_ She explained, and ceased her nuzzling to sigh again only this time more contently. "_We Pokemon appreciate your care and love and protection so much, N. But sometimes…" _She cut herself off, and lowered her head.

"Sometimes, Zorua?" N raised a brow, and patiently waited for her to explain. She did not.

…

…

…

Earlier, Touya had been a blubbering mess at the Pokemon Center as Nurse Joy and several Audinos rushed Zebstrika into the Emergency Room. Having heard all of the excitement, Bianca had rushed over wondering if there was any way she could help. When she saw Touya, and realized it was him this had happened to… she ran over to him, and held him tightly in her arms as she cried with him. He crumpled in her arms, crying and she had to keep reminding him between her own sobs that he needed to breathe, _please breathe Touya!_ Dewott and Petilil were clinging tightly onto their trainer as well, the two creatures desperately wanting to comfort but knowing no way how. They just held on, not knowing what else to do.

When Touya finally cried himself into silence, red-faced, bloodshot and puffy eyes with only streams of guilt and regret the blonde pulled out her Xtransceiver and dialed Touko's number. In a quiet whisper all she said was, "Your brother needs you." Minutes later a Braviary landed outside, and Touko came running in with panic written all over her face. The three fell to the floor, holding one another tightly because… what else could they do?

Thirty minutes later, when each of them had stiff muscles Touko quietly asked, "Have either of you been to the Pokemon Musicals? While we wait… I can show you…"

And now the show was over, and the women and children from the audience were still applauding at the antics of Cinccino, Pignite, Munna, and Whimsicott. The original intention of the musical had been lost the moment Pignite's sword twirling had gone horribly awry. Whimsical the Whimsicott (Touko's story was that she caught him when he was a Cottonee at four in the morning and she had not slept for two days) had not taken kindly to this. A Forest Stroll was lost to a Comedy of Errors, and the crowd was still rolling.

"And this is why we do so enjoy your returns here." The owner chuckled, a wry grin on his face as he watched the Pokémon's antics.

"Thanks." Touko muttered, rubbing her temples as Cinccino ran away with Munna's top hat, the psychic-type wailing after and leaving puffs of dream mist in her wake. "We should… probably get them off the stage now." She peaked through the curtains, trying to remain unseen. "Psst! Guys! Show's over – take a bow!"

The bowing process was about as well-executed as A Forest Stroll, only with the props on either the wrong Pokemon or strewn across the stage.

Waddling or floating or skipping back to the three humans, Cinccino immediately scrambled up Touya's pants. He immediately wrapped his arms protectively around his middle, and she had to make do with snuggling her cheeks against his bare neck. "Nnmm…!" He was not going to giggle. He was not going to give in to her Tickle. "Nnn… ah… ahah… n-no, stop it…!" He failed.

"Whim, Whim!" Whimsical huffed, casting searing glowers in Pignite's direction. The fire type ignored the expressions blatantly, mostly because she **was** a fire type and plant types were not exactly the most apt at the whole 'searing' business.

"I know." Touko smiled down at her Pokemon, and lifted the other up to give her a tight squeeze. "Oh! Hugging you is always like hugging a brand-new body pillow!"

"Whim!"

"Oh yes you are! Big and fluffy and soft and-"

"My turn!" Bianca cried, and clobbered a startled Whimsical and Touko in her own hug. "You're both soft and huggable!" She cheered.

"Well, at least I'm not squishy, I suppose…" Touko sighed, and suddenly wondered how she came to be hugging onto a Whimsicott and essentially supporting her own and Bianca's weight. The blonde was, put gently, and latched onto her with both legs and arms. _Kind of like a giant Joltik…_ she thought distantly. _A really, really soft and warm Joltik…_ She cleared her throat, and shook her head sending her ponytail into Bianca's face. The female brunette ignored her friend's whine at the strike of hair. "W-well… we should get back to the Center. We want to be there when they let Zebstrika out, right? And I'm sure Dewott and Petilil should be all fixed up now, as well." Earlier, Touya refused to leave the Center unless he made sure those two were healed up and safe. With the nurses and Audinos so caught up with taking care of the zebra Pokemon, the remainder of Touya's team had to wait until someone could get around to treating the two.

Detangling herself from Bianca's and Whimsical's hug, Touko returned her Pokemon with the blonde following suit. And with that, the trio exited the Pokemon Musicals to the setting sun in Nimbasa. "Wow…" Bianca and Touya said in unison, eyes lighting up. The sun was setting to the west, giving a painter's masterpiece to the horizon that way. On the opposite side, already becoming nothing but deep blues and violets was the amusement park, with hundreds of lights twinkling as temporary stars until the real things showed up later.

"Beautiful, huh?" Touko asked, and glanced briefly at the blonde before her eyes resumed watching the lights.

"It really is…" Bianca sighed, and took both of the twins' hands. "Touya?"

"Huh?" He snapped up from his thoughts, his gaze distant and unfocused on the Ferris wheel only to return to reality.

"Everything will be okay." Bianca stated with a conviction she rarely felt. "Okay? So… don't worry. You have us." She nodded her head, and offered the same gentle smile as Touko did next to her. "And Cheren, too." She laughed, realizing they were missing the fourth member of their childhood gang. The male brunette gave her a smile he did not feel, and ignored the drop in his stomach as the excitements and distractions of mere moments ago left him in the chill of the evening.

"Bianca? …Bianca!" A man's voice called out, and soon a middle-aged man approached the three. Amidst the far-off sounds of delight and play in the amusement park, and the happy little melodies rolling from the speakers of the Pokemon Musical building behind them, there was stillness. An almost oppressive quiet. Panting for breath was a man with brown hair peppered by grays of age, and his eyes were locked with Bianca's.

"Daddy? What are you doing here?" The blonde's voice was small, and her eyes were wide in bewilderment.

"I've come to take you back home, of course! Your mother told me you came all the way out here. Haven't you gone far enough?" He asked, and stood straight so it was easier to look down at his daughter, imposing her father figure appearance on both her and the twins. There were some streaks of sweat on his face, and his normally impeccable appearance was more tousled. The man also looked more tired than normal, but he still held an intimidating aura as he watched the teenagers.

"No way!" Bianca gasped, and took a few steps back until she bumped into Touko behind her. The brunette girl placed a hand on her friend's shoulder, and gave it a strong squeeze. Regaining her confidence, the blonde nodded and straightened her shoulders as she looked her father in the eyes. "I'm going to keep traveling with Touya and Touko and my Pokemon!" The blonde proclaimed defiantly.

"Absolutely not! Others do things their way, and we do things our way!" Her father retorted, face flushing red either from the heat or from anger – the three could not be sure.

"Is that so?" Bianca asked, and hesitated. She shook her head, and plowed on without restraint. "Then… then how about you do things your way, and I'll do things my way! Come on! Touya, Touko! We… we have somewhere to be!" Bianca stated, her own face now beginning to flush.

"Sweetie, you keep going on your travels." A woman's voice called out, stopping Bianca before she could even begin striding off with her head held high. The blonde's father snapped his head around, eyes squinting to make out the newest figure to approach them.

"Hey! Who do you think you are? This is a family matter!" He yelled at her, clenching and unclenching his fists. The woman, another blonde, with a slender figure and sleek outfit that looked as though it came fresh from a fashion magazine cast him a humoring smirk.

"My name is Elesa. I am this town's Gym Leader. I also happen to be a model." The woman explained, and when she stopped she struck a dramatic pose – perhaps for more of an ice-breaking effect than much else. Touko tried to suppress a snicker. "You know, there are many people in this world. There are people whose way of thinking may be completely different from yours. Sometimes, this means you may get hurt." She paused, her visage becoming more somber and serious. The Gym Leader looked around at the group, and frowned slightly as she furrowed her brows. Touya stared at her, feeling suddenly less like a bystander and more like a participant.

"Of course!" Bianca's father interjected, his brows rising slightly and a smile forming its way onto his face as relief within him swelled. "That's exactly right! It's because I'm worried about that…" And then it was the model's turn to interrupt, her head still high and chin held in confidence. She all but exuded it, and it was little wonder how she became a Gym Leader.

"But it's important to keep trying to learn about the differences between yourself and others… To learn that being different is okay." Elesa's voice had been steadily rising with conviction and years of learning, but she hastily softened her voice realizing that this was a conversation – not a speech. "And you shouldn't worry." She murmured gently, blue eyes softening from a hard winter to a gentle ocean's wave. "Trainers always have Pokemon at their side. Pokemon are wonderful. It's not only how cute they can be, but also how much you can depend on them…"

"Please!" Bianca cried, and released her fists as she hesitantly approached her father. "I know there's gonna be painful stuff like you're worrying about! I know! Really, I get it! But, like, listen… there'll be tons of nice people, too. Know what else? Since I've been traveling with Pokemon, I've already gotten tougher, I can totally tell. So… please?" As she spoke, her father stared down at her. With those big eyes of hers, the trembling lower lip, and the hope swollen to an unspeakable size… for him, it was as though she was his little girl all over again asking for a Ponyta.

He had always wanted to say, "Yes, you can," but had never been able to. But now… she was asking for something different. Perhaps something even more, something he was not sure he was ready to give up. However, this was something in her reach…

"… Hmm… I guess." Her father huffed, wanting to maintain the appearance of a strict father rather than one who buckled at the first of a Lillipup pout. "If wanting to continue your journey is selfishness on your part," The man sighed, "Wanting to stop you is selfishness on mine. I'm surprised to find I'm the one being childish – at my age! This Gym Leader's comments helped me wake up. Bianca, I'm sure it's better that you take the path you want to take now." For the briefest seconds, the girl could almost swear tears were welling in his eyes. "I hope your journey will be fun!" There had not been anything better to say – unable to hold back after an already emotional day, Bianca flung herself at her father, arms wrapping around his middle in a hug that temporarily knocked the wind right out of his lung.

"Daddy…!" Bianca exclaimed with a wail, hugging him tightly and sniffling as she did so. "Thank you so much…!"

"Yeah… well… I guess… the Pidove has to leave the nest someday…" The man gave a heavy, world-weary sigh, and gently returned the hug. After a minute, she let him go while he released her somewhat reluctantly.

"I promise I'll be careful! So… don't worry. Okay, Daddy?" With eyes like that, how could he doubt her? Perhaps it was all the years of her tripping over things and falling down stairs, but he so desperately wanted to believe she would be okay.

"…Touya. Touko. Please… Take care of my little girl, okay? And give the message to Cheren, as well. I know she'll be fine between you three, and her Pokemon." With a final nod to the group, Bianca's father turned around and began the trek back home. Empty-handed, but not empty-hearted.

"Papa, I'll come home after I find out what I really want to do!" Bianca hollered, cupping her hands around her mouth as she tried to force her voice to carry as far as possible. Nimbasa was a busy city, and even though she had initially been outraged by her father's attempt at intruding on her life… how could she stay angry at someone that only wanted to protect her? Thinking of her Pokemon, right then the blonde made a silent vow to always protect them, but never stifle them. She would not make decisions for those she loved - she would let them make their own decisions, and respect them.

"I'm sure he traveled as a Trainer himself, in the past… Being a parent must be hard. Did I meddle unnecessarily? You looked troubled, so I decided to chime in." Elesa spoke up, reminding the three that the Gym Leader was still there. Her posture was impressive – so was her ability to hold herself that way. Completely still and solid, as though she were a statue rather than a woman. Yet when she moved Elesa was fluid, each shift or flutter of the eyes was equally dramatic. When in motion, she attracted one's full attention rather than partial.

"No… thank you very much!" Bianca replied, hazing at the Gym Leader in a star-struck wonder. "Your help was really appreciated!"

"I'm glad. Admittedly though, I was also a bit curious about something… you." Elesa nodded her head slightly at Touya, who looked up at the woman. "You match the description given to me by Nurse Joy from the Pokemon Center. You also match the description given to me by an elderly gentleman, and a few rather displeased citizens. They all give very different depictions of you." Hearing this, the male brunet flushed heavily and pulled the bill of his cap down to hide his face. Touko took a step in front of him, sisterly instincts overriding common sense temporarily. "I should like to speak with you, in private if permissible. I would like to know the whole story, not just fractions. Just because I have a few pieces of a pie doesn't mean I have the entire dessert, you know."

"P-pie…?" Touya repeated, eyes widening as he thought about an earlier conversation. Was Elesa like N? Did they both like numbers? He shook his head, wanting to throw those thoughts and curiosities from his mind. Did it really matter?

"He has nothing to hide. He can tell you here." Touko snorted, staring up at the model. The Gym Leader smiled slightly at this, and gave a careless shrug."

"I never said he had anything to hide. I would simply prefer to be able to speak with him without any external sources intentionally or unintentionally pressuring him to tell the story in any particular tone or way. Also, I have some information about his Zebstrika I wish to discuss with him. As you may recall, Touko, I have a Zebstrika of my own." Elesa's eyes flickered amusement, especially when Touko had her own turn to flush in response to the model's words. "Now, Touya was it? If you would follow me back to the Center, there's a nice little spot we can talk in piece." And with a wave of her hand and turn of her heels, the woman began her sashaying walk towards the Pokemon Center. Touya hesitated, both desperately wanting Bianca and Touko to accompany him and also powerfully needing to know Zebstrika was going to be okay. The trainer in him won, and he raced after the model.

Elesa led the way, and glanced over her shoulder every some odd seconds to verify that Touya was still indeed following. That or she did not want him to get lost (which would be hard, as there were signs all along the street directing newcomers to the nearest Pokemon Center). As the woman led the way, the brunet noticed that people would sometimes pause in midsentence or even step back in her presence. He wondered if it was her looks that had such an effect, her attitude, or simply the knowledge that she was famous. Yes, she was an attractive woman – but he hardly even noticed. He kept thinking and worrying about what she had to say, and what he could say.

The two arrived at the center, and a few more Audino were running around and tending to the Pokemon of trainers that had come in earlier. Outside the sun was almost completely set, and the entire place was illuminated by artificial lights. Elesa nodded to one of the nurse-capped Pokemon, and continued along her way to a small examination room. With one quick glance she verified it was not in use, and held the door open for Touya. The brunet paused. He swallowed, before entering. The Gym Leader closed the door behind her, and crossed her arms while leaning heavily with her should on the door.

"So then. Tell me what happened, so I can better understand the situation." Elesa's voice was even, and neither friendly nor threatening. Her eyes, however – her gaze did not waver, and she narrowed them ever so slightly.

"I… well… uhm… from the beginning?" At her nod, he took a deep breath – and plunged forward. He fumbled as he spoke, though. While there was a confusing whirlwind of emotions crashing around inside of him in regards to what happened earlier, Touya still did not want to get N in trouble. What had happened was his fault – plain and simple. So, he simply left the man out of it entirely. "And I just… I was stupid, and naïve, and… if I didn't listen…" He shivered, recalling the cracking sound. The scream. He couldn't stop seeing it.  
"Your story doesn't make sense." Elesa finally interrupted, and sighed. She pursed her lips, frowning some. "But, I can't make you tell me everything." She paused, and a flash of a wicked grin passed. "Actually, I could, but I won't. If only I wasn't such a sucker for electric-types, and you weren't such a good trainer to your Zebstrika…"

"M-Miss Elesa?" Touya began, and plunged forward because – well, he had already interrupted her. It seemed silly to stop now. "Will he be all right? My Zebstrika I mean? If there's… if there's anything I can do for him, anything that would help him…"

"I think you've done quite enough." Elesa retorted, and frowned again when seeing him flinch. "I didn't mean it like that. "I merely meant that, you've done all you can. I suppose I worded that poorly, didn't I? Listen. You didn't know you would be suddenly challenged like that. You aren't an experienced trainer – you shouldn't expect yourself to know exactly how your Pokemon would react in any given situation. Even the most experienced find themselves surprised by their Pokemon sometimes. The fact that you reacted, that you went to your Zebstrika to try and help him and got him medical attention as soon as you could…

…that in itself was enough. His leg… well, I don't think Zebstrika should be a Pokemon for battling anymore. Perhaps as a friend, or a pet… but his leg will take time to heal. And even with the technology we have, there is no guarantee his leg will be as good as it was originally. I don't recommend euthanasia, though. Zebstrika's intentions, however misguided, were good. Work with him. Spend time with him. But don't battle him, and please don't put him down. I have seen too many Zebstrikas put to sleep simply because their trainers did not want to put the time and effort into it. Though… if you don't wish to put the time and effort into it, I will trade you for him." Finished speaking, she waited for his reply.

"…I won't trade him." Touya said quietly, and then nodded to himself. "As you said, his intentions were good. And… he's my friend. I caught him when he was a Blitzle. He just wanted to protect me. And I… I couldn't protect him. But… I can be there for him. Help him."

"I see." And then Elesa smiled, her visage softening and warming up. "Thank you. Though… do you mind if I make a small request?"

"What is it?" Touya looked at her quizzically. He was still relieved that Zebstrika was going to be okay.

"Would you mind if I worked with him a bit? He's a bit beyond you skill level at this point, and I'm worried that he'll hurt you if you try to work with him. Not on purpose, of course." Elesa continued to smile warmly, almost appreciatively. She was pleased to see there were still trainers out there that did not care if their Pokemon were not suitable for battles.

"I don't know… he'd probably be angry with me…" He trailed, and looked down. No matter she said, it was still his fault. He needed to take responsibility.

"Oh, you are a stubborn boy when it comes to your friends, aren't you?" Elesa chuckled softly, and watched him with a smirk. "But you did omit a part of your story out. You're hiding something, because you want to protect something. Staying here, caring for Zebstrika is all well and good… but what about that thing you're trying to protect? What is it that really upset your Pokemon? I highly doubt Zebstrika got upset that some members of Team Plasma were running away from you. Touya. I am only offering this one final time – I, Elesa, as a Gym Leader and aficionado of electric types, will care for and train your Zebstrika to control his temper and recover from his injury.

You have already done me and Zebstrika much by wanting to continue to be his trainer, and to care for him. All I ask in return, if you let me do this is that you visit Zebstrika as often as you can until he's ready to come home. In the meantime, I think there is something you need to do or someone you need to speak to. Caring for Zebstrika will neither make you feel any less guilty, nor will it make everything better between you and whatever or whoever you're not telling me about. Ultimately, it is your decision."

Sitting there, he thought about what she said earlier to Bianca. He did not understand N's logic, and even more worrying was that Touya did not even understand why that upset him so much. If he thought real hard about it though, he wondered if N was upset as well. Hurt, as well. The brunet bit his lower lip. Was caring for Zebstrika also him running from responsibility? He didn't know. What Touya did know, though, was that after everything N had said some strange things.

In a way, it almost sounded as though the other man was challenging Touya. To what, though? "Three days." The brunet said finally, and nodded. Elesa raised a brow at him, but patiently waited for him to elaborate. "Three days. I'll spend time with Zebstrika, and try to help him understand why he will be staying here with you while Dewott and Petilil and I continue on. But… if in those three days, I cannot beat you in a Gym Battle, I'll stay longer with him. I'll stay with him until I'm a little better, and keep moving on until I get better and better… and maybe then, I'll be good enough to be his trainer all of the time, instead of some of the time. Even if he can't battle, he's still my friend." The blonde woman chuckled.

"Well then, I suppose I'll have to show you how difficult a journey really can be then, huh? For Zebstrika's sake, of course – I'm sure the longer you stay here in Nimbasa, the happier he'll be. It's a deal, Touya." Elesa smirked.

* * *

**A/N:** I hate this chapter. I hate this chapter. I hate this chapter... and the worst part is, this is the third different attempt at this chapter. Augghhh. Anyway. Pokemon Musicals are randomly addicting, and DUDE! THE POKEMON DREAM WORLD GLOBAL LINK THINGY IS UP! I let my Pansear go sleepy-by. And am planting berries. AWWYEAH. Anyway. Next chapter might be a bit slow in the works. I have two cosplays I need to finish within the next week, and then I have finals and... I need to figure out what the next chapter contains. Any and all suggestions welcome?  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own nor have any affiliation with the Pokemon franchise. I am merely a fan, being silly.


	6. Chapter 6

"This is so troublesome." Cheren grumbled for what must have been the sixth time in the past ten minutes. His strides were long and drawn out affairs, arms stiff but swaying with momentum at his side. The young man's agitation had been slowly rising as the temperatures dropped – a testament to Cheren's admitted dislike of the cold. Though his face showed only exasperation, the brunet knew that tone well. The tone had been used when they were younger, whenever Bianca tripped and started wailing because every time that happened she felt like, "a clumsy deadweight" to her friends. Cheren always reacted to that situation in the same way – exasperated, and he spoke to her in that tone telling her that deadweights would stay down and make people carry them. But instead, Bianca actually got back up and kept going, so who was she trying to fool with that deadweight nonsense?

That was the tone Cheren used when he actually cared about something or someone deeply, and was just too prideful to admit it.

So there the two were, with Dewott waddling after with sneezes and Touya's jacket wrapped tightly around the water-type to keep him warm. Just because he could, in theory, learn ice-type moves did not necessarily mean Dewott liked the cold – let alone actually using an ice-based attack. His trainer was hugging himself, trying to ignore the goose bumps crawling along his arms and legs. Walking while shivering was quite the feat, and he had fallen onto nods and shakes of his head to communicate – his teeth were chattering too much to get coherent words out without biting his tongue off. But for Cheren, he had to catch Team Plasma in order to challenge Clay, and Touya…

…he could not stop himself from chasing after Team Plasma still. On one hand, he felt like a treacherous friend – Touya knew full well how Cheren felt about Team Plasma. On the other hand, he desperately wanted to understand. To communicate with N again. To feel that… connection, of sorts the two had shared however briefly. To feel those surges of joy when N smiled at him, and spoke to him. Was that wrong? Was it wrong to chase after someone like this for such little and selfish reasons?

"Touya. Can I ask your honest opinion?" Cheren spoke again, stopping midstep in the Cold Storage to fix his childhood friend with a neutral gaze. The brunet stopped as well, rubbing his arms while nodding his head. Desperate need of blood flow. Desperate need of blood flow. "The Champion Alder. He talked about there being more to a trainer than just strength. I don't really know about that. The more I think about it, the less sense it makes. But he had to become Champion for some reason – I doubt the Elite Four would let their Champion and representative run around spouting nonsense. Do you think he got to that position on strength alone?" His response was a half-hearted shrug and lopsided smile.

The ravenet sighed, raising his hand to pinch his sinuses. The wordless answer had not been what he was hoping for, particularly one that border lined on indifference. Since meeting up outside of Nimbasa City, Touya had been the difficult one to communicate with for a rare change. Not that Cheren could blame him, though. He knew his friend well-enough, and had heard the story of Zebstrika from Bianca and Touko. The girls' voices were still pressing into his brain in an almost threatening fashion, demanding him to, "be kind to Touya in this difficult time for him!" Cheren was kind enough to his friends! Sure, a bit absentminded…

"That isn't really an opinion." Cheren finally stated flatly, and released his nose to shrug off his own jacket. Shoving the article of clothing into Touya's chest, he rolled his eyes. "Put this on, and then give me your answer."

"…b-tut, Ch-cher-ren…" The brunet began, staring at the jacket with wide eyes while his teeth chattered loudly in the still cold.

"I hate the cold, but I hate it when you don't talk more. Particularly when I'm asking you important questions." Came the defensive retort, and the ravenet crossed his arms in a show of impatience. The goose bumps on his now bare arms claimed otherwise. Touya stared at him dumbly, before offering a shy but grateful smile and he slipped on the jacket. Dewott made a happy sound, waddling over to rub his face against Cheren's leg affectionately. "Yes yes, I am most kind and compassionate. Now tell me." He shifted uncomfortably, slowly backing away from the grateful nuzzling of Dewott.

"I think…" Touya paused, taking a moment to relish the warmth of the jacket and the last shreds of Cheren's body heat lingering in the fabric. "…that Alder got there on more than just strength." The brunet finished, only to look down to awkwardly shift his feet when he said this.

"Thank you. For your honest opinion, I mean. Because that's what it is. An opinon." Cheren nodded, babbling mostly to himself but Touya listened for his benefit. "I think he got there on strength, and… got whatever else he was talking about afterwards. He's kind of old. Probably confused." Cheren nodded, and the brunet obligingly nodded with him. "Senile, even. Come on, we should be looking for Team Plasma, not discussing the loose mentality of a Champion." And he began abruptly walking again, only to stumble to an equally abrupt stop when feeling Touya loop his arm around his friend's. Dewott scurried over, latching onto Cheren's leg to complete the developing 'Piplup huddle.' "Wh-what are you two doing?"

"Keeping you warm!" Touya chirped, a smile cracking his face. It had been years since Cheren knew what 'uncomfortable' felt like, and the brunet wanted to return his friend's kindness in some small way. Rather than resist the offering, Cheren's shoulders slumped and he grumbled something that sounded almost as though he was blaming the girls for this. And then the trio set off, continuing the search for Team Plasma. The Cold Storage lived thoroughly up to its name, but holding tightly onto each other the small group managed to cross frozen floors ("I don't think this is a safe environment for people to be working in…" Cheren had scowled) and interrogated the workers there. A few of the men pointed them towards a freezer near the center, mentioning strange sounds. As there was nowhere else to look, both teens paused outside of the freezer to stare at the closed door and the wisps of chilly air emanating from within. There were muffled voices, and Touya felt his heart quicken.

"Oh." Cheren blinked, feeling the hurried pulse and the tightening of the brunet's arm wrapped in his. The ravenet quirked a brow, and glanced between Touya and the freezer. "Is someone in there?" He asked idly, already certain of the answer.

"…I think so. Yes. I… I heard something…" He explained, and his friend nodded solemnly. Arm and arm, the two entered the unit and both stared at the large group of Team Plasma members huddling tightly around an elderly gentleman. If Cheren had any concerns earlier about the workers of the Cold Storage getting the wrong impression of the way he and Touya were traveling, they were quickly wiped away by the size of that 'Piplup huddle.' There was at least six members – no, eight grunts and nine members including the man ordering the grunts to, "All of you – huddle around me! I can't take this cold…"

Releasing Touya, Cheren took his long strides towards the grunts and man narrowing his eyes. He was the walking definition of confidence and bravery, just approaching the startled individuals in grays and steel blues. "Whatever. I can't believe you were really hiding. It's a bother, but if you're cold, shall I show you outside?" The man in the center stared, eyes bulging while he shivered amidst the tight hug of the grunts who all stared with equally dumbfounded expressions. Somehow, they had not anticipated being discovered. Cheren was half-tempted to laugh, but maintained his subtle glare instead. _They're really a lot more incompetent than I thought…_

"Pokemon are our king's friends! While we're taking care of them, we can't let any harm come to them while here! Everyone, drive the intruders away!" For an elderly gentleman, he had a booming voice. At his words, the grunts jerked and came to life – the confusion and surprise melting away into determination. As they stumbled and disentangled themselves from each other, Touya's eyes remained locked on the middle. There were several Pokemon, covered in cuts and bruises clinging onto the Plasma member as though he were the only solid ground on the entire planet. Why were they clinging to him? And Team Plasma… were these Pokemon stolen, or simply rescued? The difference suddenly seemed blurry, with the kinds of injuries those Pokemon latching onto the elderly man had. Those injuries…

"W-wait!" Touya called out, but his voice was drowned out admist the cries of the Plasma Grunts of, "Understood, Zinzolin of the Seven Sages!" The men and women worked as a unit, all throwing their Pokeballs at once to try and use force to drive the two out.

"Touya! Let's each take care of one side!" Cheren directed, immediately taking control of the chaotic situation as he threw a Pokeball to release Liepard. The brunet wanted to ask him to stop, but then there was someone's Watchdog rushing towards him with the intent of using a Hyper Fang.

"Dew!" Dewott hissed, and took a deep breath in order to release a steady stream of Water Pulse. The Watchdog hissed, fur standing up as he shivered from the cold and water. The Watchdog's owner gasped, and immediately called the creature back, cooing and holding the Pokeball tightly to themselves. From somewhere else, a different Liepard came barreling at them and got in a few good Fury Swipes on Dewott.

"R-revenge!" Touya called out, and without any hesitation Dewott was sure to get some. The brunet felt panic rising, as there were quite a few more Pokemon fighting them and he only had one with him. He tried to not think about why, and instead directed and commanded Dewott to the best of his ability. Doing so resulted in him getting hit once or twice by a stray attack, but he could handle a few scratches and… whatever that was the Trubbish shot at him (considering that was a Trubbish, it was best to not think about it). Worst of all, his Dewott – his first Pokemon, the one that had been with him always since the beginning – was being essentially ganged up on. Noticing at least that much, Cheren directed his Pansage to head over and offer the two a helping hand.

Near the end, when Dewott and Pansage's combined efforts defeated a member with a Scraggy the male Grunt snorted while cradling his two Pokemon (the Watchdog from earlier, and the Scraggy from then). Glowering at the two young teens he hissed, "The Pokemon that work with people may look like they're having fun, but the truth is that they're suffering." Watching Dewott do the work of several Pokemon, with only Pansage as back-up… the brunet could see it. Was he taking advantage of his Pokemon? …of his friend?

"Well, I'll be!" The booming voice of Clay announced, and a majority of the Team Plasma Grunts froze with stricken eyes and faces somehow paling further. "Hidin' in a chilly old place like this…" Shaking his head at the now trapped Grunts, Clay turned around to face the workers that had arrived with him. "You guys take these Pokemon robbers!"

"Roger!" The four men saluted, and Cheren stepped aside as the workers headed towards the Grunts and Zinzolin with handcuffs ready. There were clicks and scowls, and a few whimpers from the Pokemon cowering with one of the Seven Sages. Touya picked up Dewott, wincing when seeing the little cuts and bruises on the creature.

"Dew!" Dewott said softly, leaning up to gently nuzzle his trainer's cheek with his own. "Dewott, wott… Dew." _I'm fine, I'm fine…_

The workers gathered the Grunts into a single file, and began marching them all out of the freezer – with Zinzolin at the end of the line, and the Pokemon still whimpering there and watching him leave with frightened eyes. They didn't want him to leave. They actually wanted him to stay. Unable to contain himself, Touya clutched Dewott even more tightly to himself and took a few bold steps forward. "Please – wait…"

"What is it kid? What, wanna fight him yerself?" Clay asked, quirking an amused brow. "Listen, I got this."

"No… just… a question." Touya stumbled, flushing brightly beneath the man's gaze.

"What?" Cheren and Clay asked simultaneously, and neither batted an eye at the unison. The worker paused, looking bewildered between his captives and the Gym Leader.

"I just… wanted to ask Mr. Zinzolin aquestion, that's all." Touya repeated.

"…whatever kid." Clay rolled his eyes, but gave a nod of his head to the worker who simply shrugged. Whatever – they had the men captured, and that was what mattered. Zinzolin merely patiently looked on, a bit curious himself about the sudden request.

"Th-the Pokemon. Did you…" He paused, trying to find a way to properly word his sentences. He finally had his chance – now to be sure he worded it in such a way the two could communicate. Elesa was right – Team Plasma did think very differently from everyone else. But what if everything… all of this was just a giant miscommunication? "Did you rescue them from trainers… or did you rescue them from their fates?"

"You mean were they abandoned, tossed aside, used and no longer wanted?" Zinzolin asked, scowling. "Then yes. The ones we rescued are… ah, in a safe place now. These ones we were merely trying to mend before moving on. They're in no shape to travel."

"You could have taken them to a Pokemon Cen-" Touya started to say, but then the Seven Sage began a loud, booming laugh.

"Do you really think we, Team Plasma, can bring **any** Pokemon into a Center without being accused of theft and interrogated for hours? And then what? An injured Pokemon is forced to wait hours for help!" Zinzolin spat on the floor, suspiciously close to Clay's feet whose face began to transform into an angry visage. "No. For us, it is easier to get Pokemon help through our own means, rather than the mainstream ways." He paused, and suddenly gave the brunet an intrigued sideways glance. "Why do you care, young man?"

"Because they didn't want you to go. And I just… wanted to confirm you all are different. I-I don't mean, Team Plasma is different from people!" Touya rushed to explain, as Zinzolin's brows rose up. "Just that… Team Plasma has stolen from my friend. And I know she's a good person, and she would never, ever hurt a Pokemon. So I don't understand why someone would take her Pokemon from her. But you… these Pokemon didn't want you to go. And… I think you're telling the truth about them. That in this case, yes… you are saving them. I just wanted to… to know that Team Plasma had all kinds of people in it, and not just people that pretended to care, but didn't." Finished, the brunet flushed again realizing his friend was staring at him as though he had grown an entirely new head.

"…is that all, young man?" Zinzolin murmured, and his brows furrowed slightly. "Mmmm." He glanced at the Dewott, who was staring curiously back at him. "Ah. I see then." The elderly man smiled awkwardly and nodded to himself. "If you'll do me a favor, then, since you are not a member could you see if you can persuade these Pokemon to go with you to a Pokemon Center? From the looks of it, your Dewott could use a visit there as well so I know it won't be out of your way. Or, if these oafs still doubt my word at least persuade them to take the Pokemon to a Center **before** holding them as evidence or hostages or whatever it is they hold the poor creatures for?"

"Uhm… yes, of course." Touya nodded as well, blinking in surprise. Zinzolin cast him one grateful look, before frowning up at his captors.

"Do you mind? It's cold in here, and I think that young man over there offered to show us outside… where it is, oh I don't know… warm?" Zinzolin scoffed. Seeing the conversation was finished, the worker sighed and motioned for the members to follow him and out of the freezer they went. Watching the last of them leave, Clay shook his head.

"Kid, I don't get you. But… you guys ain't so bad! Yup, a promise is a promise. Come on an' challenge my Gym!" Clay invited the two, his anger from earlier dissipating – quite unlike Cheren from earlier. Nodding in approval that he had kept his word, Clay followed after his workers and their captives to prepare for the battles ahead.

"Whatever…" Cheren shook his head, and pegged Touya with a frown. The brunet paused in his slow approach to the Pokemon, and cocked his head to the side if a bit worriedly. "Team Plasma's ideal… Seperating people and Pokemon… It's exactly the same as not having Pokemon in this world at all. Do you even realize that, Touya?" He asked, only to stop shortly realizing what he said. For the first time in all the years that Touya had known him, he actually saw Cheren blush. "I-I didn't mean it like that…" Pinching his sinuses again, he took a few deep breaths to try and calm himself down. "I meant… Touya, you're a good guy. A great friend. But you don't…

… sometimes people take advantage of you being a good person. That bunch is a waste of oxygen. And I'm just… I'm worried about you, Touya. They have a lot of ideals, and they talk about doing what is best for Pokemon. I know you want to be the best trainer for your Pokemon that you can be, but that doesn't mean Team Plasma's way is the right way. All right? You… you're a great trainer, Touya. You've beaten me every step of the way." At those words, Touya's face turned a bright red. "And don't do that modest thing you do – you have, and so have your Pokemon. You're a great team." Shifting awkwardly, Cheren looked around and cleared his throat. "Touya… It's cold, so I'm getting out of here. Just… give me back my jacket later." He advised, and glanced back at the huddled mess the brunet got himself into. "I wish you luck." He sighed, and with that left as well.

Watching him leave, Touya remained frozen in place. Quickly he came undone, and squatted down to be on eye-level with the Pokemon. All of them watched him warily, trusting the brunet to be as kind with them as one would expect a wild Deino to be. "H-hey…" Touya began, and licked his lips nervously. He understood where Cheren was coming from. His friend was just worried about him, and held an understandable grudge against Team Plasma. But had he ever listened to what they were saying? _A world without Pokemon…_ the idea made the Cold storage a suddenly much colder place. So much lonelier. Touya shivered, and hesitantly offered a trembling hand out to the nearest Pokemon – a Petilil. It made his stomach knot and do flips, as he recalled his own Petilil preferred to stay behind with Zebstrika. He had not realized how close the two had grown to be. There was a lot he had not noticed.

The Petilil in front of him, a female, looked nervously between the brunet and the other Pokemon. She then looked up at Dewott, bruised and scratched as the water-type was. The otter Pokemon gave an encouraging nod, and a soft smile. "Dew… Dewott. Dewott…" _We just want to make you feel better._ Soft words, imploring words. The Petilil fervently shook her head, her leaves and body shaking with weariness and who knew what else. Behind her was a small Venipede, feelers waving around the air in an almost panicked fashion. She could smell blood, fear, and still taste the memories. That man was gone – the man that had saved her and protected her with the others. This was not the man, nor did this new person smell like the man.

"It's okay… I won't hurt you, promise." Touya whispered softly. He wondered how long and even how N had learned to communicate with Pokemon. Was it an art? A skill? Something he was born with, or learned? There were at least five Pokemon – a Petilil, a Venipede, an Audino that appeared unnaturally small, a Ducklett, and a Solosis. The shakily hand moved closer. If he could just somehow show them he wouldn't hurt any of them… a way to communicate, really communicate with them…

"Peti!" The grass-type squealed, curling in on herself. Sensing his panic, the Venipede lashed forward with her pinchers ready. She latched on, biting down on Touya's finger.

"Oh." Came Touya's immediate response. Venipede's were poisonous, weren't they? He stared wide-eyed at the little creature, of whom remained clamped tightly onto his finger. The brunet distantly wondered what the poison's effects were on people. He knew it could paralyze most bird Pokemon, but of what size and build? In comparison to people? Were the effects long-term, or short-term?

"D-Dewott!" Dewott yelled, squirming around in Touya's other arm in an attempt to try and get free.

"N-no… it's okay." Touya said finally, feeling the sudden pain all at once flare in his finger. Venipedes had… quite the bite. All at once, he felt a new appreciation for Pokemon in their battles.

In the midst of the pain, and Dewott's concerned coos the brunet was slightly surprised for the image of N's hands to flash through his mind. Briefly, he could almost feel the warmth of the other young man's hand in his own (but that was probably the poison beginning to spread). N's hands had felt calloused, hard. There were pale marks all over them, covered in scars from the years. Had those come from Pokemon? How many abused and abandoned Pokemon had N desperately tried to save from being left to die? "Really… it's okay…"

Touya was on the Ferris wheel again. Only the time was different, and things were different. Had the basket really been that big? All of their Pokemon fit in it! Zebstrika was inside, with Petilil on his back and making pleased coos. Dewott was there having what could have been an intellectual conversation on the socioeconomic effects of having ice cream for dinner every night. Scraggy was there, and that Sandile… they were all there. And this time N was sitting next to Touya, whispering softly to the other about where each and every scar came from. The two were sitting side-by-side, shoulders just barely touching as the green-haired male leaned in so his words left tickles on breath on the brunet's cheek. Their hands were a mishmash of being held and being guided.

There was no music playing, but the calls of the Pokemon in the background provided a nice beat to the lyrics of N's words. Shivers and tingles ran along Touya's spine, with his stomach doing flips and his face feeling hot and feverish. There was nothing to be afraid of – N wouldn't hurt him. Their Pokemon were getting along. So why did his heart ache and pound? This was just a ride on the Ferris wheel. A fun ride, and the two were good friends. Close friends. They barely knew each other, but sitting in such a close proximity to N… Touya felt like he could say or do anything, and the other would not care. Why would it matter? Touya was Touya, N was N, and their Pokemon were happy and having fun admiring the view.

And then there were lips against his, arms around his waist, and green eyes staring into his brown ones. Touya was being kissed. He had never been kissed before. Not like this. Everywhere felt warm, and the brunet wondered if this was what it felt like to take a bath in fizzy water. N's lips lingered there, remaining what was probably more for comfort and intimacy than anything else. Not that Touya minded…

…why didn't he mind? His eyes slid closed, and despite not understanding he still relaxed. His arms returned the hug. Was this what he had been hoping for? Not for what N would say, but what he would do? That fizziness engulfed him along with the warmth, and he felt himself relax completely. N wouldn't hurt him.

"Touya…" How was N speaking, but his lips not moving? That made no sense. "Touya…"

"I'm so sorry…" Why was N apologizing? Touya felt so… warm and content with him. Why? The brunet tried to move his lips and reply, to say there was nothing to be sorry about… _because I love you, N…_

"Will he be okay…?" He who? Opening his eyes again, Touya looked over. He sat there rigid, staring wide-eyed. There was Zebstrika, whimpering as he lay there on the ground. Wait – weren't they on the Ferris wheel? N was no longer with him. Frightened, he tried to run over to his Pokemon but his legs gave out – he couldn't move!

"Please, Touya… be okay… I don't want to lose you…" _I don't want to lose you, either!_ None of the brunet's words were leaving his mouth. He choked back a sob, because he couldn't speak and he couldn't move. Zebstrika! Was he going to be okay? Where did N go? Why wasn't N helping Zebstrika…? The brunet would be fine, but what about his Pokemon? He was injured… so horribly injured…

…

…

…

There was nothing short of apologies and grimaces from the Grunts. "We tried our best… it just wasn't good enough…" Was the most frequent thing the group murmured as they tried to explain to N why all of the Pokemon that they had attempted to rescue had… not exactly been rescued. "That old man, Clay!" One attempted to explain, before his shoulders slumped and he gave a heavy sigh before shaking his head. "And… they two boys…" None of this was particularly out of the ordinary – this was not the first time Team Plasma had an issue with trainers. N sighed, though mostly for the Pokemon's loss than anything else.

"You did your best." The green-haired man said at length, and waved at the Grunts. "Go take care of your Pokemon, and make sure they're okay. And make sure you're okay, as well." N added, and with several thanks and a few more apologies the Grunts slunk out. What would they do without him and his… without Ghetsis? Hearing clothing being shuffled, N's eyes turned to slits and he glanced over to see who had remained – Zinzolin. Well, that was… surprising. "Zinzolin of the Seven Sages? How may I help you?"

"My king," Zinzolin gave a crickety bow, wincing slightly from the attempt. "There is one thing that you might think to be good news." The elderly man began, and noticing N lean forward he took this to mean to continue. Their king was a strange one, but the youth could get things done and inspire the most heartfelt of the Grunts. He also could communicate with Pokemon – a rather nice ability given the purpose of Team Plasma. "One of the young men that stopped us, I am confident he took the abandoned Pokemon to be treated at a Pokemon Center."

"Is that so?" N stood up, mostly to stare down at the Seven Sage to try and decipher if the man's confidence was well-placed. He had no doubt about Zinzolin's wisdom and knowledge, but when it came to people… he was not always so inclined to trust their judgments of other people. Pokemon were much more reliable in that regard.

"It is." Zinzolin paused for effect, and smiled a crooked but warm smile. "I think I overhead some Grunts mention him before. In fact, had I heard them correctly, you might even know him. Brown hair, perhaps around sixteen or seventeen. Has a Dewott." There was no denying there was a flicker of recognition on N's face. "So you do know him."

"He's… a trainer, yes. We have met before." N struggled to find a way to explain how exactly he knew Touya. Running around and having conversations with people was not exactly a character trait Team Plasma knew him for. In fact… this was not something he found particularly characteristic of himself. "As a trainer, he has a lot of potential. From what I've seen, yes he does care about Pokemon."

"Then there is no reason to doubt my judgement in this, King N." Zinzolin gave another awkward bow of respect. "We may have failed in bringing them back here, to the safety of your domain… but at least they will be taken care of, and for now that what we will have to accept. At least until…" He trailed, eyes moving over to the side. "King N, may I be so bold to ask you a question?"

"You already have." N retorted, his face betraying no amusement to his own quip.

"Yes, sire. My apologies. The legend speaks of two heroes. Two dragons, one for each. One representing different ideals… King N, do you plan on using that boy as the second hero?" Zinzolin inquired, looking up at his soverign.

"I do." N could feel his own throat tighten at saying those words. He could not ignore his own disgust towards himself and his decisions. The idea of using Touya in any way of revolting… but he was dedicated to his dream – setting Pokemon free. And no smile, no matter how warming or special it was to see, was going to stop him from saving those who needed to be saved most.

Huddled inside N's ponytail, listening to the conversation Zorua felt her ears droop. _Sometimes, N… you need love and protection yourself. Especially protection from your own decision to hurt the few humans that love and care about you._

* * *

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Pokemon, nor do I have any affiliation with the products. I am merely a fan who writes fanfiction and purchases the merchandise.  
**A/N:** I love you guys so much, I actually did not sleep to finish this ASAP. And for those that asked - I was making a Gold cosplay for my friend, and a Skitty gijinka outfit for myself. AHEM. So. Thank you all very much for your confidence in my (tolerable) abilities. Know what would be cool? Indents on paragraphs (hint hint FFdotNet). And yes - the Dream World IS indeed up and running. If you need help getting it to work, please feel free to ask me. I've been randomly troubleshooting for people, so we can totally see if we cannot figure out what is up. That aside, I am TERRIBLE at writing battle scenes. But, I did try to take everyone's suggestion and not just jump through them. I tried glazing them over a bit, and add a smidgeon more detail. Is that okay? If not, let me know and I will try a different technique (if I actually sit down and try to type out a battle scene, they always turn out so terribly and I get so frustrated I give up). But rest assured - as of this typing, I have every intention of writing the battle between Zekrom and Reshiram later down the road. Lastly a super big thanks to those who helped me brainstorm for this chapter. I am much obliged! Thank you again so very much! Please take care of yourselves, and know I appreciate your kind words and support immensely! _  
_


	7. Chapter 7

Brown eyes cracked open, starting out as mere slits before squeezing tightly closed again. Touya made a small groaning noise, rolling onto his side as he tried to escape the lights. His body felt weary, muscles aching slightly – as if he had run a marathon instead of been lying in bed. It must have been in the afternoon by now – his mother was probably downstairs, tutting away at how her 'little boy' was sleeping too much. Perhaps even contemplating waking him up, or if she should just leave him. Ever since Touko left on her journey, adventurous girl she was, he had been sleeping later and later, minute by minute. The house felt just a little bit emptier without his twin, and all Bianca and Cheren had wanted to talk about lately was beginning their own journey. Touya had… been hesitant. That was a big wide world out there, and what if he was not good enough? What if he was a horrible trainer, and his Pokémon resented, even hated him? Cheren was so dedicated – studying every night to learn what types were most effective against which, watching videos of trainers challenging the Elite Four and learning new tactics… and Bianca? She just wanted to learn, to see the world. She inspected maps when her father wasn't looking, and pestered Juniper about what Pokémon could be found where. Both would be wonderful trainers. Would Touya? Could he even…?

"Dew…" A little voice trembled, a voice that was perhaps too little for its owner. Touya's eyes scrunched together more tightly, and he attempted to burrow beneath a pillow. But to do so, he had to shift onto his side and something – no, some thin_**gs**_made noises at him! "A-ah, what?" The brunet gasped, shooting up in sudden alarm because there were things squirming next to him in his sleep and that wasn't normal! The bright fluorescent lights temporarily blinded him, making him dizzy and disoriented at first. That wasn't the sun? "Dewott!" The voice cried out, only this time it was louder and more excited – and the owner pounced on Touya. "Dew, Dewott!" The Pokémon cried – his Pokémon, his starter.

"D-Dewott…? What, then who…?" Touya's brows furrowed together, frowning slightly as his brain began to fast-forward in attempt to catch up to everything. Shuffling out from beneath the blankets was a disgruntled Venipede and pouting Solosis. Wait, those weren't his…  
The Cold Storage. Team Plasma. He was supposed to take them to the Pokémon Center! Looking around him, it suddenly occurred to Touya that he was already at the Pokémon Center. And the three Pokémon before him? Looking far better than he had last seen them – Dewott looked as though he had not just been in a battle, the Solosis was fuller and less deflated in appearance, and the Venipede had no more visible injuries – merely scars of the past on her body. Was this the same Venipede that had bit him… earlier? Yesterday? A few hours ago?

"What… what happened?" He finally asked, raising a hand to rub his head in bewilderment.

"I thought I heard a commotion in here!" Nurse Joy chuckled, poking her head into the room with a delighted smile. Touya stared at her, still confused. "You should really be more careful, you know." The woman tsked, and held up one finger before disappearing back into the hallway.

"Dewww, Dewott!" The water-type cooed, snuggling fervently against his trainer's belly. The brunet glanced down, and offered a hesitant smile down to the creature before affectionately rubbing Dewott's head. On the subject of heads… reaching up, fingers ran through brown strands – nope, no hat.

"Veni." The Venipede started, and lightly nudged Touya's leg with its feelers before scooting away again. The Solosis chirped, and either rolled or glided onto his lap next to Dewott.

"Do you two… belong to someone?" Touya mumbled, and then looked to Dewott. "Those Pokémon… are they here too?"

"Ve, Venipede!" The bug Pokémon announced, and the psychic-type next to her chirruped this time in a pleased tone.

"Dewott!" Came the final confirmation from the otter-like creature, who motioned at the Venipede and Solosis also sharing the bed. This only confused Touya further – why would they want to sleep with him? Looking down at the small bug, the brunet bit his lower lip as he mulled over what was going on.

"Do you… did you feel bad about biting me?" Touya asked, and at the hesitant nod from the Venipede he had his answer from one of them. "But why are you here, Solosis…?" His reply was a little squeak, and friendly nudge. Or maybe the Pokémon was simply rolling from the movements – the brunet was having trouble telling. The creature reminded him of a ball of jelly. Re-entering the room was Nurse Joy, carrying a tray of various foods – both for the human and the Pokémon in the room.

"You do enjoy living on the wild side, don't you?" The woman chuckled, setting the tray down. Dewott immediately reached forward, grabbing the assorted treats before dispersing the foodstuffs between himself and the other two Pokémon as evenly as he could. Touya blinked up at her. "You're very lucky these Pokémon were with you. While the poison in your system wasn't much to be concerned with, the cold temperatures could have been the end of you!" She finally elaborated, and the brunet's eyes widened slightly at her. "This little guy," She motioned at the Venipede, "pestered some workers in there until they went to see what was up. And then there they found you, lying unconscious with a giant pile of Pokémon to keep you warm! You must have made quite an impression on them." She chuckled, and patted the young man on the head.

"A-are they all okay?" Touya blurted both grateful for the explanation but also worried. He had made a promise! And besides, if those Pokémon were nice enough to keep him warm until Venipede was able to get help… he pulled his Dewott into a hug; he happily snuggled into his trainer's arms.

"That depends on how you wish to look at it." Nurse Joy sighed. "Physically, they are all healing very nicely. But it'll be years before they are willing to give humans a chance. A lot of them are trying very desperately to escape at every chance they get. It makes treating the more severely injured ones much, much more difficult." She finished, her eyes tearing up slightly. "Oh, I don't understand why trainers battle their Pokémon into such conditions! And then when the Pokémon are too weary and tired to move on, they just leave them to fend for themselves like that! Tell me, how can a Pokémon protect itself when it can barely stand?" Stomping her foot, the nurse stared at him with a trembling lip but burning blue eyes. She then paused, realizing that she was venting at a patient and coughed to cover the sudden shame coming over her. "I… I apologize."

"It's okay." Touya offered her a half-smile. "I don't really… I didn't know people even did that…" The brunet trailed, and he looked down at the Venipede and Solosis contently chewing on their treats.

"A lot more than most people realize." Nurse Joy whispered. Taking in a deep breath, she forced herself into a bright smile – just for her patient. "But you were very lucky, and unlucky I suppose. Venipede's poison alone isn't enough to paralyze a young man such as you – perhaps a small child. But we found some trace amounts of another poison, and we've been able to identify it as a Trubbish's. Were you battling someone in there?" Nurse Joy peered at him, narrowing her eyes slightly. "If so, I'm going to need to report this. Trainers that injure other trainers in battle is against the law."

"Oh! I-it was an accident." Touya rushed, fervently shaking his head while his Dewott angrily nodded his own. "I was… my friend and I, were helping the Gym Leader, Clay with finding some people in the Cold Storage. I think they panicked, and… well, it wasn't on purpose. They aren't… they aren't like that."

"I see." Nurse Joy stared at him a bit longer, trying to decide if this was a lie, and if so whether or not she would swallow it. With another sigh, this one more theatric, she threw her hands in the air. "Very well. I'll tell Clay he can't use you to press charges on Team Plasma." The woman shook her head, chuckling softly at their Gym Leader. Touya smiled awkwardly to her laughter, and closed his eyes recalling the Cold Storage.

"Nurse Joy?" He stared, opening his eyes again recalling something.

"Yes?"

"How long was I out for?" He was curious – now that he knew the Pokémon were okay, there was a cascade of conflicting emotions and memories demanding his immediate attention.

"Oh… just overnight. I think part of it was you just being tired." She assured him, this smile more pleasant and heartfelt than some of her earlier ones.

"…do you know how long I was out before the workers found me? Did I have any visitors?" He definitely heard voices before falling completely unconscious. Or perhaps the poison caused his memories to be skewed, and he heard them earlier in a moment of drifting in and out of consciousness (though he could not recall any 'drifting').

"Anywhere between thirty minutes to an hour. We're not wholly sure about even that, though. We were more concerned with getting you better. As for visitors, there was a young man – Cheren, I do believe. He made sure you were okay, checked in on you, and then went along his way. He was a very… brisk young man." Nurse Joy sniffed, and looked at the brunet with an apologetic smile. He just returned the expression with a grateful one of his own.

"That's Cheren. He doesn't like it when people know he's worried. It isn't a very 'strong' personality characteristic in his opinion. Touya explained. "But… did anyone else visit, or try to talk to me…?"

"No. No one that I saw, anyway. I can ask around the Pokémon Center though, and see if anyone knows anything else. But don't let it worry you, if we don't find anything. I've been working here for years – we've had a couple trainers come in asking about visitors they never received. Personally, I think that when a person is in that void between being awake and being asleep, when they're actually listening, really and truly… they can understand what their Pokémon are saying. Of course, that's just my opinion. You don't have to agree with me. Is there anything else you need?"

"I… no. I don't. Thank you very much, Nurse Joy." Touya thanked her, and she left him with a smile before heading off to take over the front desk again. From his room he could hear her,

"Welcome to the Pokémon Center…" He stared at the three Pokémon, all of which were now looking up at him with different expressions. Dewott's was curious, Venipede's looked almost surly, and Solosis… hopeful? Surprised? The brunet was not exactly sure. But… he wondered if Nurse Joy was right. If in those moments before he drifted off into that dream, if he had really heard the Pokémon talking to him. Deciding to make a wild leap towards possible insanity, the brunet placed his head on Dewott's head. "I don't want to lose you either." He said, and flushed slightly because he felt so silly. Honestly, how could he understand his Pokémon's speech? He wasn't N. The brunet tried to ignore the flutter in his chest, as the images of his dream floated through briefly at the thought of the green-haired trainer.

"Dewott…" And the water-type hugged him so tightly, rubbing his cheek against Touya's arm – the whiskers tickling his skin but he could ignore that because for the briefest of instances the brunet was surprised to realize he had understood his Pokémon on the same level N understood all Pokémon.

…

…

…

Hands flat on the ledge, N stared out into the afternoon sky as he let the wind blow through his ponytail. He was thinking, calculating… dreaming. There were a lot of things about other humans he had never really understood. People assumed in a person loved math, he was down-to-earth. He was grounded in facts, and never let his mind soar into the skies with the flying types. But that was not true. Yes, N liked his facts. He liked knowing things. But he also loved to dream. N had dreamed a million different dreams, all of them more beautiful than the next. All of them with the same core concept – Pokémon being free to be as pure and beautiful as nature intended. To let the world grow, not to watch it dwindle. People consumed what the world had to offer far more quickly than the earth could replenish itself. A world in which humans no longer onslaughted that delicate balance with their greed and violence.

But lately, his dreams had taken on a slightly different turn. There was N, friends with Reshiram and the entire world made pure again. The Pokémon were free, and there were no more excesses. Every time after the dream though, N could feel a hand – a human hand, undeniably warm and comforting – tentatively reaching forward to hold his hand. And N let them, because he knew the hand belonged to Touya.

This was a dangerous dream to keep having, and even more dangerous because he cherished it so much. The king of Team Plasma kept thinking back to the Ferris wheel, before he disclosed his secret to the brunet. The way Touya looked at him, hopeful and shy. How easily and comfortably their hands enclosed around one another. N had been nervous at the time, but even so those briefest of moments had been an entirely different sort of perfection… but there was only one perfection: a world of free Pokémon.

This meant a world without humans – including N and Touya.

But the idea of a world without Touya somehow made the man so… sad. Sad was such a simple word, intended more for the use of children rather than adults such as him. Yet, all those more complex words to explain such a powerful emotion seemed so terribly overdramatic that the innocence and simplicity of 'sad' was all that more effective in describing the sensation. He would be sad in a world without Touya, simple as that. At the same time though… a world without humans also meant a world that N was not in, so he would not even feel sad after the fact. He would not feel at all.

"But still…" N sighed, lids lowering slightly as he watched the two Tranquills weave in and out of one another's way in a dance of feathers and love. A courting ritual. Those two had been found three months apart, little Pidoves badly wounded from trainers using them to strength their own Pokémon. But still, the idea of a world without Touya still seemed too sad without the brunet's awkward smile to make it… no, not brighter. The sun was there to brighten or darken things as necessary. No, that smile was just there to make N's stomach turn to knots and his heart to feel elated. Perhaps if he could… separate humans and Pokémon? Then his friends would be safe, and he could… perhaps then, he and Touya could become friends again. He smiled softly at the thought. _Friends again… _they could hold hands again. And perhaps, just maybe, have a second Ferris wheel ride. Maybe then N would say what Touya wanted to hear, whatever it was.

Maybe then N could make these feelings stop, powerful as they were, and remain just Touya's friend. Nothing more. The brunet was a kind person, and even though he had hurt Touya already… N did not want to hurt him further by taking advantage of his kindness by wanting to be anything more. No, those feelings would have to be reined in. They could just be friends – N was fine with this. So long as they were close again, someday.

"But still what, King N?" A man's voice inquired from behind. N's smile fell, his facial muscles working and reworking themselves through several different expressions. Finally, he turned around to stare at Ghetsis with a mildly inquisitive visage.

"But still, there are several kinks in the current formulas." N replied, not necessarily lying either. Temptations were not exactly helpful to plans intended to save all of the Pokémon. "For example, I still do not have the means to bring forth Reshiram and befriend it. The Gym Leaders seem to be becoming more aware of our movements and actions, and have taken it upon themselves to defend the trainers instead of the Pokémon. And, there are Pokémon trainers being given ultimatums from these Gym Leaders to assist in discouraging Team Plasma activity. I heard Clay even told a few trainers they could not challenge him until our members were taken care of, and the rescued Pokémon returned to their abusers." His jaw clenched, and his hands on the ledge quickly turned into balled fists. It was not because of the man standing before him – no, his fa…. Ghetsis had accomplished a great deal for Team Plasma.

Ghetsis was a powerful speaker, and knew his way with words around people – unlike N. The king was also quite confident that if Ghetsis had asked Touya to join, the brunet would have. N cursed his own selfishness for having ruined that chance – he should have just mentioned the brunet to Ghetsis, and then… well, then he would not have hurt the other. Being human had far too many drawbacks. Too many wild emotions coming into play, and not enough time was spent thinking on what must be done no matter how much time N dedicated to doing just that. Somehow, his emotions always managed to crawl in and ruin what he was trying so hard for. Instead, N was tensing for the simple reason that those who should have been protecting Pokémon… were not.

"I see." Ghetsis nodded solemnly, keeping his hands at his sides even as the drafts of wind occasionally blew his cloak open. The older man glanced up at the two Tranquills, saying nothing for the moment. Both men fell silent, and the bird Pokémon glided through the air and to a different ledge – perhaps to begin building a nest together. "My lord N… you are well-aware of how much of Team Plasma's efforts are going towards the legendary Pokémon, and how much dedication we have to saving Pokémon without causing harm to more… and not to question your dedication, but as of late you have seemed… distracted. The Shadow Triad working for me has also been giving me some concerning reports, which is why I am here now. I wish to speak with you about such matters, if you would permit it."

"…right." N nodded, taking in a deep breath as a gust of wind ran across his face. Turning around to face Ghetsis fully, the two stared at one another for the briefest of seconds – and more than anything, N wanted to call the elder man by a different name. But those days were over, and were no longer of concern. "What are these reports?"

"There seems to be three trainers in particular our grunts keep running into. One is a young man named Cheren, another is a young lady named Bianca, and the last one is another young man named Touya. Now, from what I understand you and Touya are… well, I've been a bit curious. Some of the grunts have been curious as well." Ghetsis began, and stopped simply to give the king time to respond. The man did not rush his king, simply stood there silently waiting. Always waiting, always patient. That was a characteristic that N wished to obtain someday – patience.

"Yes. Touya." N nodded, working his jaw as he tried to find a way to explain the brunet without making a fool of himself and all of his followers. "He's… his Pokémon have said very interesting things from the start. I wanted to understand better as to why… and in doing so; I learned more about the trainer himself." Beneath the steady gaze of Ghetsis', N had to work harder to not be flustered – to simply deliver the information. There was nothing to be ashamed of. There was no shame in wanting to recruit potentials for Team Plasma. There was no shame, there was no shame… "He's a very… kind person, and treats his Pokémon with love and respect. I had… mistakenly thought that he would see and understand the viewpoint of Team Plasma. He's still a good person, just he has no idea how most of the human population treats Pokémon."  
There was no need to defend Touya from Ghetsis. The man could form his own opinions well-enough, and through the Shadow Triad could learn enough about the brunet to know what N said was true. So why was he still trying to defend Touya's lack of response?

"I've seen him, a few times. Once in Castelia. He was with Burgh." Ghetsis said softly, and nodded to N. "My lord, I understand your happiness is seeing there are still good people in the world – rare as they are these days. I am happy, as well. But there is something you are forgetting – he is surrounded by people that hurt Pokémon every day, and he does not even realize it. He is ignorant, and thus he does not know what sources to trust… I am sorry to say this, but I do not think you should trust him. People as easily swayed as he is, those who let themselves drown into the gray areas of morality… they are not safe."

"But Touya isn't…" Even before N could finish, Ghetsis was already shaking his head sadly.

"I am sorry to tell you such unfortunate news, my lord. Please, do not let yourself be blinded by what you want to see. That's how humanity has fallen so far – by only seeing what they wish to, and not what is really there. You have seen what is really there – he has not. He may never see it, because people that are kind by nature tend to have very fragile hearts. Seeing the cruelties of reality breaks them. I am sure you have already seen how fragile he is." Ghetsis' tone always remained even, soft, and even apologetic.

"…I…" N bit his tongue, not letting anymore words out. His shoulders shook slightly, but he forced them to still. He thought back on his encounters with the brunet – how much Touya needed his Pokémon to support him, how upset he was after N told him the truth… N let his shoulders droop, but he nodded. Even so, he desperately wanted to prove Ghetsis wrong. To show him that Touya could handle reality, that he could… that he could be a member still. He already told Zinzolin about Touya perhaps being the other hero, but maybe there was still time for Cheren or Bianca to be that other half… "Yes, Ghetsis of the Seven Sages."

As though he heard the younger's thoughts Ghetsis began, "I have an idea. Perhaps we should test Touya… see if he the trainer you see him as, and the Shadow Triad believes him to be. He's in Driftveil, at the moment… I think the Shadow Triad can set something up and we can see how he fares…"

* * *

**A/N:** Holy skittles, a short chapter again! I don't know about you guys, but I am most certainly thinking, "ABOUT TIME." Right. So... I am trying to find a happy middleground for the Pokemon battles. I seem to keep making them either too abrupt, or too sketchy. There is only one or two Pokemon battles throughout this whole fanfiction that I will really concentrate on, but it was also pointed out to me that skipping over them entirely is both awkward and dismisses moments of character development. So, any critiques and suggestions for improvement on how I can manage the Pokemon battles better would be IMMENSELY appreciated. In other news, I am so excited for AFO...! It isn't for several months, but I am still pumped! We're putting a Pokemon group together...!  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own, nor have any affiliation with the Pokemon franchise. This is simply a fanmade work, and I write it purely for fun.


	8. Chapter 8

Entering the Chargestone Cave, Touya's attention was immediately captured by the strange and almost surreal state of the place. He could hear crackles of electricity, and Dewott reached up towards him making small sounds – almost whimpers. Recognizing the water type's need to stay as clear from the rocks as possible, the brunet gently lifted his starter and almost cradled the creature in his arms. Venipede wriggled her antennae to either console or sniff Dewott, before letting them fall still while keeping her perch on Touya's shoulder. Pokemon really could be a lot like children the brunet found himself musing once more as Solosis chirped down below – he wanted to be carried, as well. Disregarding the wonders of the ancient cave briefly, Touya awkwardly tried to maintain his own balance while also reaching down to scoop up the squealing Solosis.

"I almost… just… oh!" And with a thud, he fell flat on his butt – but at least there was now a Solosis happily snuggling in his hold with Dewott while Venipede made a few disgruntled sounds attempting to **not** fall off his shoulder. "Ah… haha… s-sorry about that. I must've lost my balance…" The brunet apologizing, and gave the trio of Pokemon an awkward smile.

"Veni." The purple creature murmured, and lightly batted an antennae at him. He assumed that was as close to forgiveness as the Pokemon was willing to give him, so with a sigh he made his third most trying excursion – getting up with all three creatures in tote. Five more tumbles (and a few disgruntled sounds from Venipede) later, the brunet was back on his feet and maneuvering forwards into the cave feeling like a father having several baby carriers strapped to his chest and back. By the end of his journey, Touya was almost positive he was going to have back and thigh muscles of steel. Maybe biceps of steel, too. Solosis was not exceptionally heavy, but Dewott… well, the brunet wondered if all of that spoiling was starting to gather in various fatty deposits on his Pokemon – particularly the creature's rump.

The end of his journey… he paused before a turn, and looked down at the trio that managed to convince him to carry them all with little effort on their part. Originally he was just traveling to travel, to join his friends and not be left at home by himself. Stuck in his room, watching the world and people flash him by without doing anything. Just existing. Next, his reason was to make new friends, to become a better trainer for his Pokemon. To live up to their expectations, not fall short of them as many times as he had. And then…

And then there was N's challenge. Or at least, Touya interpreted it as a challenge – N was going to face all of the Gym Leaders, and prove himself worthy to a Pokemon of legend. Then… asCheren had so bluntly put it, separate humanity from Pokemon. There was not 'fighting spirit' living or breathing inside of Touya – he simply did what he thought was right, what would protect his Pokemon from harm. In a way, being a trainer more like akin to being a parent than to being what the term actually referred to – people took care of their Pokemon, watched over them, and often the Pokemon returned the kindness. They were more like a family. And trainers… trainers of course did what was in the best interest of those they were helping to achieve more strength, more endurance. But there was not always necessarily love in that equation.

Was that what upset N so much? That some people trained their Pokemon without love? Letting his cheek briefly press against Venipede as a small sign of affection, Touya let that idea go immediately. No, N was upset because people abused Pokemon. There was no love, no training… just hurt. Betrayal. Yet, none of it really added up. Yes, Touya saw a few people that probably had no right being trainers – but not so many that he could comprehend why N believed everyone was that way. How many injured Pokemon had he found? How many cases of cruelty had the elder been exposed to? N spoke of equations and formulas so often… but the man was an anomaly – N as a person was a math problem the brunet was worried was too complicated for him to ever solve.

But… no matter how much of him wanted to please N, to make him happy… to lie and claim he understood the other's words entirely… Touya could not force his mouth to lie to N or to his own self. The brunet knew only a few things for certain: he loved his Pokemon, and they loved him. His two most recent additions, perhaps hesitantly, but he could feel at least their trust in him – them wanting to trust in him without any doubt plaguing them. N was treating all Pokemon the way a father would – to protect them, to love them, to care for them… but wanting to lock all Pokemon away in an entirely different world? Was that the same as caging them? As refusing to let a child grow up, make his or her own decisions? To learn from his or her own mistakes? Or was it different? Was locking them in a place without humanity truly freeing them?

Touya did not know. But he did know he could never let someone make decisions like that for his Pokemon without their consent. If they were willing to fight for their own right to choose what path they walked, be it by his side or not, Touya was willing to fight with them. So no, he had no 'fighting spirit' – but he did have his love and dedication.  
Teetering, the brunet tried to keep his balance as he began walking once more. He silently hoped there were no trainers lurking around in the cave to try and challenge him. Touya was certain he would fall over again, or Venipede would scratch him again by accident in her excitement to battle for fun rather than survival once more. The brunet did not quite grasp how getting hurt and hurting another could be fun… he never enjoyed giving or receiving pain. Perhaps most Pokemon relished the adrenaline rush? Or were battles more akin to endorphin rushes…?

Going around a corner, still alternating between actually admiring the complexity of the cave and ensuring no Pokemon fell out of his arms, from the corner of his eye he thought he caught a glimpse of something…

And then two men, both of whom with short white hair and cloaked entirely in black garb abruptly appeared in front and behind him. Touya froze, his muscles tensing and his body instinctively trying to wrap around and protect the creatures clinging tightly to him. The two men said nothing, merely their eyes stared at the teen before briefly looking at one another.

"…come." One finally spoke, his voice a heavy baritone so devoid of emotion that the brunet felt a small chill crawl around his spine. Venipede hissed, while Solosis flickered a faint glow.  
With no more words or silent exchanges, the two men began walking and the brunet felt his feet following. With his muscles so tense from fear, he barely registered the fact he was carrying himself and his Pokemon more carefully and with a smaller risk of falling. The walk was not long, a rather short journey, but the suddenness of the occasion left Touya's brain in a whirl pooling mess of confusion. Minutes later they arrived to a short stop, and somehow managed to sneak their positions to standing on the brunet's left and right. He had no idea when either man did this, but he did know who was standing in front of him now.

"My Lord N, we brought the one you wanted." With that announced in a raspy voice, the two men disappeared like lives in a fire. Pulling himself out of a daze, N slowly turned away from the sparks radiating off of a boulder. His movements were slow, almost like a man waking up from a dream instead of someone turning to acknowledge another. Green eyes stared into brown ones, and briefly both forgot what they were in the cave for. Venipede and Solosis quieted, recognizing the man for who he was and Dewott watched with a quiet respect and dismay. Zorua poked her head out from his ponytail as usual, and lightly nudged her friend to remind him this was not a staring contest – there was a purpose to this visit. Immediately, the king of Team Plasma shook off his distractions.

"Ah, yes." N nodded, his scattered mind quickly reconstructing to put all his thoughts into something coherent once more. "That was the Shadow Triad, just now. Ghetsis enlisted them in Team Plasma. Apparently they were the ones who prepared the Galvantula nest at the cave entrance." He was elaborating for Touya's benefit, and no other reason. The brunet nodded, at least recognizing as much. _He was waiting for me…?_ A surge of curiousity, of wondering why and for what reason flooded his brain – remembering the dream, his cheeks flushed and he looked down while hurriedly coughing to cover up the blush. N patiently waited for the brunet to stop, and if Touya did not know any better he could almost swear that he saw the other's man hand twitch from the corner of his eye. "Are you… all right?" The green-haired trainer asked instead, though he would have preferred actually going to the other to see.

"Yeah… just… dusty in here." Touya explained hurriedly, and quickly uprighted himself when he no longer felt the heat radiating so powerfully from his face. Standing in front of N, in a situation like this… of all the times to think about kissing someone, a man who was basically pledging to change the world by force and power along standing in front of someone after borderline having ninjas kidnap them was… not the best of times. N nodded to this answer, and continued.

"Chargestone Cave… I like this place. Formulas express electricity and its connection to Pokemon… If people did not exist, this would be an ideal place." N paused, to glance over and stare at the currents zigzagging and twitching between ground, rock, and the occasional Pokemon shuffling through the darkness and volts of power. _People are masters of hurting each other and everything around them…_ "You have been chosen, you know. Does it surprise you that I said that?" He waited quietly, listening to the sounds of Touya's breathing and the movements of the Pokemon gathered around their human. Their human. Zebstrika made it quite clear to him in Nimbasa that this was the relationship between the brunet and the Pokemon that traveled with him – they all belonged to each other, not just one of them.

"Yes. But… chosen? What do you mean? N…" Touya paused, and then hurriedly plowed on ahead now that he had this one chance – this moment alone with the other, before more questions were created he had to have these few answered. "You don't make sense anymore." He stared desperately at the other, and N turned his eyes back to the brunet before cocking his head slightly. _I don't make sense?_ N thought. "I know you're trying to explain things so I can understand… but when you use formulas, I don't follow the symbolism. I get lost in the numbers and the directions, and by the time I know the answer I can no longer make sense of the question. You… you're a kind person. You've helped me so much in the beginning, and you were there to encourage and understand my Pokemon when I couldn't.

I know… I know I'm not a perfect trainer. I've made mistakes, and they've caused my Pokemon pain. I regret every error I make, because I know someone has to suffer for it and it never seems to be me. N, what I don't understand is… Team Plasma. You all say the same thing, but you do it differently. It's almost like Team Plasma is an umbrella name for a bunch of subcategories. You, the Seven Sages, the Grunts… and now the Shadow Triad. I respect what you all what to do, even if I don't always understand why you are trying to do it… but what I don't understand are some of the methods. I've seen some of your members treat Pokemon with more love and respect than I've ever seen anyone or thing treat another. And I've seen some of your members hurting Pokemon – I watched two members kick a Munna for its Dream Mist – why? I can't understand why someone who wants to protect Pokemon would hurt any of them that way…" At this, N furrowed his brows. "And some members kidnapped a Pokemon from my friend, Bianca… she's a kind girl. A bit ditzy, but she means well and she's nothing but heart. I know some members save Pokemon from abusers, but… why would they kidnap a Pokemon from someone who loves them dearly? Why, N? And what do you mean by chosen? Chosen for what…?" Words spent, Touya finished and found himself panting. He had not realized how riled up he was, how much the not knowing had driven him crazy and was eating him up inside.

"…chosen for your ideals, Touya." N answered simply, and though his eyes were kind to the brunet the man's lips were pursed with his brows lowering further. "I haven't heard anything about the Dream Mist, so… I'm not sure what you mean there. But Munna's have been known to show frightful things to intruders if they feel they are threatened – you may have simply accidentally wandered into their territory, and in their alarm they sent you a dream and those were the images you were shown. Team Plasma members, Sage, Triad, Grunt, or even I… would never harm a Pokemon, no matter the purpose. As for your friend… I apologize to both of you. It may have well been a misunderstanding, and I hope she and her friend are together once more." He finished, though what the brunet said still troubled him. N could not understand why, but… the way Touya mentioned the Munna incident, the conviction in the brunet's voice… how sure he was. That was not the way Touya was when N first met him.

Touya had indeed been growing on this journey. Had N been growing, as well? Simultaneously, N could not doubt the brunet's surety that had not been a dream, but he also could not believe any Team Plasma member would lay a hand on a Munna just for Dream Mist. And even if they did… what did they need Dream Mist for?  
"I am sorry to surprise you like this. I told Ghetsis about you and your friends. After I did, he apparently sent the Shadow Triad to find out about you. Cheren is pursuing the ideal of strength. Poor Bianca has faced the sad truth that not everyone can become stronger. And you are not swayed either way – more of a neutral presence. Which is apparently a good thing," He hurriedly added the last part, as though afraid of offending the brunet. "Team Plasma will be waiting for you ahead. Ghetsis wants to see what kind of Pokemon Trainer you really are. Think of it as a test… if you pass, Ghetsis should permit me to explain more about the ideals of which I speak." N nodded his head softly to Touya, and with a brief pat on Zorua's head he turned to head deeper into the cave.

"Wait, N…!" Touya called, taking a step forward only to suddenly be reminded of all the weight he was carrying – and he fell backgrounds again, giving the other male enough time to make his escape. "…that…" His body slumped, every muscle feeling as though it was liquefying inside of him – everything except his jelly arms, which were holding up Solosis and Venipede while Dewott remained clinging to his trainer's jacket with wide fearful eyes staring at the floor. "…that didn't… he didn't even believe me…" The brunet whispered, and felt pricks of tears in his eyes. "But… at least I tried, right?" He whispered, and smiled at the three with him. "Ideals… a test… Ghetsis…" Touya continued to stare up at his Pokemon, before gently lowering them down onto a pile on his chest. Their combined weight made breathing an exercise all its own, but he instead tried to concentrate on the most recent conversation.

The way N spoke, as though Ghetsis was the one to give permission rather than N… a king was supposed to be at the top of a totem pole, wasn't he? Yet one of the Seven Sages was instead. What exactly was the relation between the king and the Sages? Touya at least knew the Grunts did all of the dirty work – seemingly in all senses of the word – but what of the Sages? Perhaps it functioned like the old royal courts – there was the king and his subordinates. But sometimes the subordinates gathered enough powers between them to be able to overthrow the king if and when they chose to. Was this the case? If so, did N even have any idea about it…? The brunet shivered, suddenly very scared for N. Who exactly was Ghetsis? And Zinzolin for the matter? Indeed, with the Seven Sages… if any of them were doing something with Team Plasma behind N's back, for what purpose was it? Was it somehow related to the Dream Mist…?

"Dew!" The otter Pokemon whined, eyes wide as he stared at the floors. Snapping from his thoughts, Touya looked around.

"S-sorry… I dazed… you're right. The ground is kind of scary. And… not electrocuting me." With a blink and startled realization, the brunet slowly stood up. Solosis gave a pleased chirp, followed by a few coos. Taking a deep breath, he followed deeper into Chargestone, going where he last saw N leave towards…

* * *

**A/N:** So, good news! Next chapter will be longer. And even better news - chapter 10 will involve us going back to events that didn't take place in the game! (A lot of you seemed to have forgotten Team Plasma's tests in the Chargestone... which is okay - I only knew because I am technically playing this game while writing this. Oh, the agony. I just want to barrel though and show the world that I'm the very best, like no one ever was. Because to catch them is my real test, and to train them is my cau - what's that? Are you guys face-palming? WELL FINE. I want to barrel forward because... IT'S A WHOLE NEW WORLD WE LIVE IN! (Doo doo doo do doo doo!) IT'S A WHOLE NEW WORLD TO SEE! IT'S A WHOLE NEW WORLD, WITH A BRAND-NEW ATTITUDE... but I still go to catch them all, Pokemon Joh - I mean... Pokemon, Unova! ...I am not lame, stop judging me.)  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own Pokemon, nor have any affiliation with the series. I am merely a fan having fun, and with a tendency to burst into song with the opening themes from the English anime series. I also do not own nor am I affiliated with the theme songs, other than random bursts of singing and perhaps getting the lyrics wrong. My memory is not exactly reliable.


	9. Chapter 9

The Trubbish stumbled back, making small hissing sounds as she did so. Solosis rolled from left to right, making little sounds as he began to gather energy once more. Dewott and Venipede were in their Pokeballs for the moment – getting into a three-way battle with an angry Grunt was not at the top of Touya's list of Smart Things to do. Seeing her chance, the Trubbish fired Acid Spray at Solosis. The psychic-type stopped briefly, shuddering slightly at the stench and sensations, before starting once more on gathering his energies. "You… you are the trainer that my Lord N is worried about!" The female Grunt fumed, her eyes narrowing. "Trubbish – keep using Acid Spray!" She ordered.

_Worried about…?_ Touya's eyes widened slightly, but he shook off the momentary distraction. "All right, Solosis before she fires another round-" before he could even finish his sentence, the psychic-type let the energy that had gathered around it fire out in a colourful array of a Psyshock. The Trubbish only had enough time to see the attack coming, and with no time to defend was knocked backwards in a super-effective critical hit.

"Nng… so, not only do you enslave Pokemon you also force them to do battle on their own?" The girl snarled, and returned Trubbish to her Pokeball – the creature was out after a single hit. Temporarily thrown off, Touya stared at his Solosis as his mind tried to wrap around what just happened. For the most part the Pokemon had been following his orders through the cave, in the previous battles up to this point. But now… what had changed? Was the brunet predictable as a trainer? No, if that was the case then Cheren would have picked up on that immediately. There was something else.

And then the woman threw another PokeBall, and out came a second female Trubbish. "Switch tactics – use Acid Spray and then Sludge! No hesitation, just keep hitting them!" Came her next round of orders, and without hesitation green ooze came streaming from the Trubbish. As moments ago, Solosis hurriedly rolled away from the noxious liquids.

"Hurry – use Recover!" Touya added, and instead of heeding his words the little creature began preparing another Psybeam to attack. "Wha…! No, Solosis you'll faint that way! Please, use Recover!" He pleaded. The creature gave an exaggerated sigh, followed by a loud cry when he rolled into some of the Acid Spray that had missed him earlier. "Solosis…!"

"Tch. I don't get why Lord N gets so bent out of shape over you… if your Pokemon don't listen to you, you must be a horrible trainer! Unless…" She paused, and then nodded to herself. "Trubbish, coat the floor with Sludge!"

"Are you crazy? What about the other Grunts…? The Pokemon that live here! If you have this poisonous stuff all over the place.-"

"I can clean it up after I beat you, and make you free those Pokemon you're holding hostage!" The Grunt snarled, and then nodded to her Trubbish who immediately began hurling self-made sludge all over the ground. "If you're harming Pokemon so much you're upsetting my Lord N, I'm not going to let you keep doing it! You people… I'm tired of seeing what you do to these poor creatures! They just want to live, and people like you just won't let them…!" The poison-type coated the ground in the purplish goop, and Touya instinctively raised his arm to his face to filter the air slightly. The stench was almost overwhelming, and he could feel his eyes start to water. Across from him the orange-haired woman seemed to have tears in her own eyes, and he wondered if they were from her passion or the smell.

"So-Solosis…" The brunet coughed, almost gagging as the smell accumulated in the narrow area. "C-come here… I have a…" He gasped, and he could smell his sweat, the sludge, his Pokemon's natural odors… and he had to stop himself from gagging. "…a plan…" Not hesitating anymore, Solosis did another Recover on himself before rolling as quickly to his trainer as he could. Catching sight of this, the Grunt ordered her Trubbish to get the area around the brunet's feet as well – she was not sure what he was up to, but he could not have gotten this far on sheer luck.

As far as races went, this took the cake for most peculiar – Solosis was attempting to outroll the splatters of goop across the cave's floor. Sparks crackled and sizzled beneath the mixture, and once nearing his trainer's feet Solosis partook in a sort of leap of faith – he jumped to avoid the sludge that landed on the ground in front of him, and simply expected blue-clad arms to catch him. True to his hopes, those arms were along with an outstretched black shirt in case the jiggly creature slipped through Touya's fingers. Touya tried to hold his breath, and let Solosis roll around in his shirt.

"You're going to get hit like that, you know!" The Plasma Grunt pointed out, and with a sharp nod to her Trubbish gave the final signal that she had no intention of relenting just because a person was now getting involved in the battle physically. The brunet smiled awkwardly.

"That's okay – Solosis, use Psyshock now!"The creature in his shirt trembled with excitement, and a colourful beam left Solosis' mouth directly for the Trubbish. The poison-type had time to avoid getting hit in the face this time, and while she avoided the brunt of the attack she did end up slipping on her own sludge. "And another one!" The second hit was enough to send the Trubbish rolling, whining and whimpering to her trainer that she was sorry but she did her best…

The Grunt frowned slightly, but returned her second Trubbish. She whispered something to the ball, and then pulled out her third and final Pokemon – releasing yet another female Trubbish. "A-Acid Spray them both! We're not… we're not going to let Lord N down…!" _I won't let this boy hurt you anymore, Lord N… I promise. _He had done too much for her and her Pokemon for her to just keep letting him down. She was not sure what was going on, or why she had been asked to challenge this boy to a battle… but she did know whenever he was involved, Lord N left in a poor mood. There was a time he was someone else – someone who only showed his passions when he did what was right. Someone who ordered what needed to be done, no matter the cost to himself personally. And then… and then Touya came along, and Lord N seemed all out of sorts. At the Ferris Wheel, and then when he went by to inform the Grunts what they were doing… who was Touya? How could he affect her Lord so powerfully…? Was he truly that cruel of a person?

Her Trubbish paused, and glanced back at her with confusion. Hit the human and the Solosis? But this was a Pokemon battle – between two Pokemon, each of which had bodies capable of withstanding attacks. Human beings were so much more fragile… the Trubbish looked at the Solosis, who was quietly chirping at her. The message was clear: hit me with all you got, but hurt my trainer and you'll regret it! The poison-type gave a small shiver, cowering from the Solosis. There was an almost menacing undertone, one she was not accustomed to hearing in another Pokemon. "What are you…?" The female Grunt asked, seeing her Pokemon was not doing as requested. Instead of pressing the issue, she took in a deep breath. "Very well. I respect you wishes." Was all the woman said, and held up the Pokeball and allowed her Trubbish to return. Opening her eyes slowly, she stared down at the brunet who was still trying to breathe what little clean air remained. "You may have beaten me, but you're still no better than other trainers. Go on then. I need to stay here and clean this up."

And she pulled off her Team Plasma uniform, revealing a dark blue spandex outfit beneath and long orange hair – longer than the brunet would have guessed inside her hood. Using the uniform, she began the slow process of reversing the damage her anger had inflicted. Popping out of their Pokeballs were her Trubbishes, who tilted their heads at the mess before limping or hopping around to assist her.

"…thank you." Touya said quietly, and cautiously tiptoed around the mess. Before he left the small area they were in, he set down two potions for her injured Pokemon.

"For what?" The Grunt sneered.

"For worrying about N. He needs it." Touya replied quietly, and with Solosis in his arms he began to race ahead.

"…tch." The Grunt looked away, and only reached for the potions after he was gone. "…what do you think?" She asked aloud, tending to her Trubbish's injuries. They made small cooing sounds, and she sighed. "I can't understand you like Lord N can. But…" Her gray eyes slowly turned to stare at the last Trubbish to face the brunet. "…but you wouldn't hurt a nice person, would you?" _My Lord N… I need to speak with you about so many things…what are you doing, and why you are doing it? I always assumed it was to save Pokemon but… to be honest, part of me doesn't want to say good-bye to any of them… is that because I love them too much, or not enough…?_

…

…

…

He was getting tired. Tired of being challenged by Team Plasma members, tired of being told what a terrible trainer he was, and tired… so tired of running through Chargestone's maze-like tunnels. Tired of the other trainers in the cave that remained innocently oblivious to Team Plasma being so near, tired of knowing so little, and most of all he was tired of always being the one to do the chasing. Touya wanted to be N's friend – what was so wrong with that? And yet… yet sometimes it felt as though he was always the one making the effort. That was not true though, and the brunet knew it. Just, were the two even speaking the same language? When they talked about their Pokemon, their friends, Touya had never understood someone so well before. But the second any other subject cropped up… he was not even sure who he was talking to anymore.

But he had defeated all of the Plasma Grunts. And now he was running, racing to see either Ghetsis or N. His muscles were sore from his Pokemon traveling on him rather than in their Pokeballs, but they seemed so comfortable and natural outside of the little contraptions… perhaps he was being too lenient with them, but there was too much in his brain and eating him up inside he did not bother to stop and try to change this. One step after the other up the steps, sweat soaking through his clothes, and the brunet's Pokemon were all making their own little noises in the journey upwards and after.  
Just a little further… he only had to go a little further, and then… what would be, would be. Touya had said his piece to N, and the brunet could do little more than keeping chasing after the other unless N explained just what was going on. And there he was – standing near the cave's exit, Zorua on his shoulder as usual. Her ears perked up hearing the brunet's arrival, and following her gaze was N's own. The green-haired man smiled softly, turning fully to face the other's arrival. "Touya." He frowned slightly, noticing how much the brunet was panting and his disheveled clothes. "Are you all right…?"

"I'm… I'm fine." Touya nodded, and simultaneously Solosis and Venipede hopped off as though their trainer burned them – each looking around curiously. N chuckled at them, and simply shook his head at the brunet.

"I knew you would all make it. Ghetsis has told me that you are… fascinating." N trailed, looking off to the side. His expression was curious, but Touya had no idea what that meant. "And I… I was thinking about what you told me. While I strongly doubt Team Plasma members would ever harm a Pokemon, it seemed wrong to not look into it in case there was. For us to pursue our cause, we need Pokemon to not be afraid of Plasma members. So if there are individuals who are committing such atrocities in the name of Team Plasma…" His gaze turned back to admiring the electricity rolling off of the rocks. "We are looking into it. I brought this to the attention of the Seven Sages, and they are checking into the occasion. For that, we need to know where it happened and around when it took place. Touya…?"

"R-really?" Touya asked, his heart welling. So N **was** listening, even understanding the brunet. And this whole time he was afraid the other did not believe him, was just shrugging off Touya's words and only hearing what he wanted to… "Yes, please… thank you so much. It was in the Dreamyard, near the grass where a lot of Munna gather… by Striaton City." He paused, trying to remember the exact date. Unable to recall the exact time (it had been so long… so long), Touya offered a rough estimate.

"I see." N stared at the other, hesitating for a minute. "…does it really surprise you that much that I am looking into this?" At this words, the brunet flushed.

"Y-yes… you didn't… really s-seem to earlier… I was s-surprised then, too…" Touya murmured, shaming himself further by stammering as he replied. The other man took a deep breath, and slowly released it. That hurt, in a way. But then, of course Touya would be surprised. As of late, N could not really call himself the most… reliable to other human beings. Especially to a certain brunet…

"Many values mix together, and the world becomes gray…" N took in another deep breath, and steeled himself to look the other in the eye again. He was not going to repeat his mistakes from last time. "That is unforgivable! I will separate Pokemon and people, and black and white will be clearly distinct! Only then will Pokemon become perfect beings! Yes, that is my dream! That is the dream I must fulfill! Touya… do you have a dream of your own?" The words were rushed and tumbled, and while N was normally a fast speaker the brunet was startled by how rushed that particular speech was (though N bursting into a speech was something that no longer surprised him). Touya blinked rapidly at him for a moment, glanced at his Pokemon, and then gave a nod.

"Yes. Of course I do."

"You have a dream… that's wonderful." N nodded, and continued to watch the other. "Touya… you asked me what I meant about ideals. What I meant when I said you had been chosen… you've proven yourself, for now at least, to Ghetsis… As I mentioned before, you are something of a neutral presence. And there is nothing wrong with that – you want both sides to the whole story, rather than just blindly siding with one. That's smart, the right thing to do. But… I **will** change the world. I **will** set Pokemon free from the bondage that has kept them trapped for years upon years… and when the time comes, you **will** have to choose a side. And your decision may well determine what the ending will be like." The man looked down slightly, and struggled to resume eye contact.

"And that is all there is to it. Touya, I…" He struggled with his words, struggling to get the facts out. _I need you on my side – fighting with me, not against me. I need you to see enough, so that we can be friends together working together to save Pokemon… but not so much I destroy you._ "I cannot allow you to remain a neutral presence forever. Eventually, you'll have to decide. There are Pokemon suffering everywhere, from negligence to abuse to… to…" His shoulders slumped – thinking about it, recalling it… the memories, the sights, the sounds…

"…N?" Touya began tentatively, Dewott still clinging to his trainer's jacket. The brunet took a shy step forward, and Venipede and Solosis immediately perked up at the movement. Awkwardly, he approached the other. "May I… see your hands?" N tilted his head slightly at the request, jerking his thoughts away from the recollections. He slowly raised his hands, and set them into Touya's outstretched ones (Dewott was holding onto his trainer without assistance).  
The scars were still there, just as Touya remembered seeing them before. N's hands were still warm, and shakily the brunet traced a few of the bumps and marks on the taller one's hands with his own finger that was still wrapped up and healing from the bug Pokemon's bite. "The Solosis and Venipede that are with me… they were there, in the Cold Storage. I'm sure you heard about it, because it was my and Cheren's fault that… well... N." The brunet continued to watch his own finger trace the scars, distractedly and refusing to look up because he just realized how close he was to the other by doing this. Too close. His cheeks began to get a pink tone, as in the process of trying to not think about it he thought about it more. "They wanted to come with me, so I let them. I know I haven't seen what you have…

…and I know I haven't experienced what you have. You… you've seen what people are capable of. Felt what Pokemon are capable of, after what people do to them. And I know I haven't. But N…" He could not do it – he could not look up at the other without fearing he would do something stupid. Incredibly stupid, so he just stared at the hand. His voice did get softer, lower as he spoke. "Do you really, really want to separate Pokemon from people…? Zorua wouldn't be with you anymore. Nor would any of your other friends."

"…I know." N replied just as softly, and turned one of his hands to grab Touya's into his own. "But I also know, that more than anything I would want her and all of my friends safe… even if it means I may never see them again. Their safety is worth more than my comfort." It was nice, to hold hands again. Even if, given the situation, this may have been somewhat inappropriate. "Touya… earlier, we were talking of dreams. What is yours?"

"M-my dream?" Touya asked, his mind instantly flashing back to the one he had when poisoned. His cheeks turned a bright red, and he stared intently at the ground, past their hands. That was not the type of dream N was asking him to share. "I just… j-just want all of us to be together… happy." He stammered, feeling his face grow hotter by the second. Since he was looking down, he did not see the smile N was giving him.

"All of us, together and happy hmm? That is a nice dream… but it is a nice dream in-between." N sighed wistfully. "Pokemon cannot ever be truly happy in our world… but in separate worlds, we cannot be happy. I am sure-"

"Why not?" Touya asked suddenly, his cheeks still flaring and his eyes glued to the floor. But… well, why not? "Why can't we just… change the world, without forcing friends apart? Without forcing everyone to say good-bye, both Pokemon and human?" He demanded, and realized throughout his burst his hands were clenching N's tighter. He loosened the grip, only to realize the other had done the same. N quickly loosened his own hold, before slowly pulling away.

"Because… you are one of the very, very few people left without ill will, Touya. Much of humanity is jaded, and either takes it out on other people or on their Pokemon. We cannot all live together happily, because too many humans will not let us. I won't force you to decide, yet, Touya… however, I do want to hear what Venipede and Solosis have to say about everything." He pulled out a Pokeball, and tilted his head. "Would you mind? So I can better understand your dream? And to see if… if people really do understand one another better, in battle?"

Touya hesitated, but nodded his consent. "Solosis!" He called, and the creature hurriedly rolled over now in a bundle of excitement.

"Now then, if you will… Boldore…!" And both battled – even though neither really had the heart for it.

* * *

**Disclaimer:** I do not own nor have any affiliation with Pokemon, Nintendo, or other official owners. I am just a fangirl writing out her fangirly thoughts.  
**A/N:** HOLY ARCEUS THIS TOOK FOREVER I AM SO SORRY! I wish I could say this won't happen again, but I am having all kinds of life issues and projects and just... I'll do what I can, and update as fast as life will let me, okay? Promise. Also, sorry this chapter was a bit lame. I'll try to make up for it in the next chapter, with Iccirus City, Skyla, and whatnots. If you have any requests (aside from NTouya goodness that I know you all want), please share them. Also, if anyone knows or has heard of AFO, my friends and I are doing a Pokemon photoshoot on Sunday.  
**A Head's Up: **Thank you all so, _so_ much for your patience and support. I really, really do appreciate every review, every alert, and every single time one of you offers me a critique. Words cannot properly express my gratitude. That being said, a few of you either on here, on devArt, or through PMs have asked me about using something from my fanfiction for your own purposes. I really don't care, and quite honestly I'm not entirely sure why you're asking. I am essentially adding some details I thought should have been in the game, with NTouya and ToukoBianca elements included for my and your personal enjoyments. I do not own Pokemon, nor do I own the plot to the Black and White games. If my interpretations give you an idea, feel free to run with it. Were I writing an NTouya fic with my own plot, yes I would like people to ask me about using it - but this is not the case, so while I appreciate everyone being so polite and kind about it, please know that in this case you do not have to. That said, please take care!


	10. Chapter 10

Foot slipping on the steps, the brunet made a small surprised yelp with his hands flailing in all directions as he desperately tried to regain balance. His movements paused, his eyes widening marginally as he realized he was floating in place – neither falling forwards nor backwards. A small coo from behind made his shoulder muscles relax – Solosis was using its psychic ability to ensure his trainer did not topple over. "Thanks…" He breathed a grateful sigh, and the Pokémon gently righted him once more. Touya smiled down at the creature, and scooped him up. A small chirrup was his response, and both began to look around the surrounding area. Ever since they had entered Celestial Tower, there had been no shortage of close calls. Skyla was at the top, and like the good little errand boy he was the brunet was chasing after the Gym Leader. He sighed again.

_I need to get better as a trainer…_ he had decided. His Pokémon were strong, reliable, confident, and had more power than any human being would ever be capable of. But Touya still had so much to learn – type advantages only got so much of an edge. He needed a clearer mind, a narrower goal, and above all he needed to be everything his Pokémon needed him to be. But could he be all of that? What exactly did that consist of? If he truly was going to change the world so that everyone: Pokémon, people, N, Touko, Bianca, Cheren, their parents… even the Plasma Grunts, could be happy. He knew he could not eradicate sorrow or loss from the world, but he could try to change it. Someway. Somehow.

But first he had to be a better trainer. Knowing that did little to help him, as he was not even sure if he could be. If he had been spending the past hour surviving the Celestial Tower simply from the kindness and efforts of his Pokémon, how was he going to survive the remainder of the journey until… until what, exactly? He simply knew N had challenged him to go through the Gym Leaders and he was, but the brunet had no idea what was to transpire afterwards. From all of this build-up, what if nothing happened?

What if Touya failed? What if Dewott, Solosis, and Venipede all had to go away and he could never see them again…?

His chest contracted, and he tried to force his thoughts onto those of a more constructive nature. If all he did was climb these stairs, wallowing in self-despair without ever even trying - he would let his friends down. His friends. There was a time in which Touya would have just thought of his team as his Pokémon, but now they were all as close and important to him as his twin. And how was she doing, anyway? And Zebstrika... he wanted to visit the electric-type. But backtracking took him far off his course, and the most he could do was call Elesa on the V-Transmitter when he had a chance. She assured him the Pokémon was fine, but he wanted to be able to reach forward and pet Zebstrika's snout, to feel the soft fuzz and the warm breaths on his fingertips and palm. Petilil, too? How was she doing? Elesa had mentioned the grass-type was becoming rather fond of the local nurse... but hearing about them was nothing like actually **being** there with them, holding them.

"I don't suppose any of you can learn Fly, can you...?" Touya murmured softly, mostly intended as a joke but hope was underlying his voice. The three Pokémon glanced at each other, but Venipede scoffed at him suddenly before looking away. The brunet smiled a bit awkwardly at her, and reached down to gently pet her head. The creature made an annoyed sound, but no moves to stop the brief caress. "That's all right. Maybe we can ask Skyla to give us a ride on her plane... then we can all Fly." He consoled, and the four continued up the stairs and deeper into the tower.

...

...

...

...

By the time they reached the third floor, Touya's arms and legs felt sore. Back at home, he had never needed to walk this much... or carry this much (he briefly considered cutting his Pokémon back on the treats). "S-sorry... but I think I need a break." He whispered, and set the Solosis down. The psychic-type gurgled his disapproval, but rolled off in a direction of his choosing. Brown eyes swept through the large room – tombstones were set all over the floor, with a thick and heavy scent of rosewood incense rising to his nose. If he looked up, he was certain he would see a thin fog of smoke gathering near the ceiling in curls and wafts.

Near the foot of each stone were gifts, some old and others new. Walking with ease and grace were the men and women who guarded these gifts, photographs, and memories trainers left for their deceased Pokémon. Touya wondered if N had ever been through there, and if he had ever realized that while humans had graveyards... Pokémon had memorials. In addition, the brunet also realized that in a way these individuals were guarding the Pokémon that lingered and drifted through the many floors of Celestial Tower. There were Litwicks and Elgyms, both of which seemed just as determined to haunt the building as the guardians to protect it.

Or maybe the haunting was a means of protecting it.

Either way, Touya gave a small cough as the smoke filled his lungs and he shuddered before taking small, tentative steps through the area. Peering around, he could hear the soft whispers of farewells and prayers of the other humans in the area, a few faint sobs as well. _This isn't right, is it?_ He thought, averting his eyes from those mourning. To be chasing a Gym Leader through a place like this, for such a trivial reason. There were suddenly so many people that were important to him in his life, and suddenly it was beginning to become difficult to keep everyone's feelings in mind. The brunet stopped walking, and sighed while his shoulders slumped. _I can't do this._ He felt it before he thought it, and all at once he could not understand what anyone claimed to be seeing in him.  
What was so amazing about the fact he cared for his Pokémon? Didn't everyone? Looking around the many tombstones, crying trainers, and Pokémon... how could anyone claim no one cared? Tears were not something that fell without provocation. So if everyone cared... why did it matter that Touya was just another person that did? He was one of many – but for some reason, all these Gym Leaders and even N had been praising him... for what, exactly? Because his Pokémon defeated them in a battle? Then why was he the only one praising them?

He was going to turn around, and that was it. All of them were going to return to Nimbasa City, and...

...and just let N do whatever he wanted? But then... he was talking of changing the world by force, using a legendary Pokémon's power to separate human from Pokémon. What could Touya possibly do against that? Politely ask, "Please don't do that, it'll make everyone sad?" That hardly worked the first time he requested. The brunet doubted a second, third, or even hundredth request would change anything.

"All right guys, let's just head back." Touya muttered gently. When receiving no response, his brows furrowed while his lips turned downwards in a slight frown. "Dewott? Venipede? Solosis...?" He whispered, trying to not raise his voice too high so he did not disturb the others in the room. Instead of seeing the trio around him, all that the brunet saw were the tombstones, the curls of the incense smoke, and a few people that were walking or standing. He heard the sounds of people, but not a single sound of Pokémon. "Dewott?" He called, raising his volume slightly. Taking long strides forward, he began to peer down the rows as he walked. "Solosis?" Came the next summon, his voice rising in both sound and alarm. "Veni... pede...?"

_Maybe... maybe they're on the floor below? _A nagging thought followed, _but what if they're still on this floor, and I go to check below...? _Two hairs shy of fully panicking Touya took in a few quick breaths trying to calm himself. They could not have gotten far. Maybe one of the guardians saw them, and could point him in the right direction? Going with that more rational decision he started to scour the area seeking one of the psychics or guardians. Slowing his pace as he tried to calm his heart that hammered away, he tentatively tapped the shoulder of one of the women that seemed to be inspecting the rows to ensure there was no theft. She paused, turning to face him with her head cocked slightly to the side and allowing black hair to fall across her shoulder. Deep set brown eyes narrowed as she stared down at him, her face forcing itself to be patient when she obviously felt there were better things to do than assist just another kid.

"Uhm…" Touya began hesitantly, suddenly wondering if he should have stopped someone else. The woman sighed, her shoulders slumping and her demeanor immediately relaxed.

"Sorry. Long day." The woman offered as explanation. "We get a lot of crazies in here – some from grief, and others from… well, I suppose if we knew we'd be crazy too, huh?" She adjusted her position, suddenly making herself more friendly and approachable. She lazily crossed her arms, and forced an awkward smile to her lips. "What do you need?"

"Uhm… my Pokémon were with me a second ago, but…" He trailed, looking around to see if they would suddenly pop out of nowhere. "I think they wandered off… and this isn't…"

"The best place to wander?" She asked, the awkward visage turning instantly amused. "Any and all places are the best to wander in a Pokémon's eyes. And any place where there are little ones crying is the perfect place to try to turn those frowns upside down. Those yours?" She asked, motioning over to where Venipede popped out of hiding behind a tombstone, a child near her jumping in surprise at the sudden appearance. "They've started playing hide-and-seek not that long ago… I'm guessing right about the time that one went missing, huh?"

"M-maybe…" Touya began, blinking rapidly at the bug-type dash back into hiding. The child immediately got back up, and chased after where he last saw the creature head off to.

"The others are probably doing the same somewhere in here. It happens a lot. Don't take it personally – the higher up you go, the sadder the people are… and the more all Pokémon want to help." She explained, and with a polite nod to Touya walked around him to continue doing her job. He stood there awkwardly, contemplating what his next move would be. Well… if his Pokémon wanted to play with the children on this floor, what was the harm in it? They deserved to have fun, and they were doing a nice thing.

"But I can't just go without telling them…" Nodding to his own vocalized thoughts, he walked as briskly – but quietly – as he could over to where the Venipede and child were. "Hey… Venipede…" He whispered. The creature poked her head up with an irritable expression and her antennae down. The child squealed seeing her, and dashed over to try and wrap arms around the bug – only for her to rush over to hide behind her trainer. The brunet tried to stifle a laugh. "I'm not stopping you – I just wanted to let you know I'm going up to see Skyla alone, so you all can keep playing down here. Okay?" He smiled wide for the Pokémon. Venipede's antennae wiggled this way and that, before the creature scowled and dashed off in a different direction. At least she knew he was not abandoning them, and neither would the other two.

With his Pokémon now informed of the new plan, he started back up the next flight of stairs. _And the more all Pokémon want to help_, the woman's voice echoed in his ears. He thought about N – all of the Pokémon with him seemed so determined to help the green-haired man, even knowing they would eventually have to leave him. Was their determination because they were so grateful to his help, or was it because N himself was sad…? The only things that Touya knew made N sad were Pokémon being hurt, abused, taken advantage of, abandoned… but were there other things? Come to think of it, N had never really mentioned his family. Did the King even have a family…? The brunet thought of his mother, his twin, and his friends from his town…  
It seemed like all N ever had were Pokémon, the Grunts, and the Sages… but only the Pokémon interacted with him like friends.

Though N did seem to honestly be trying to become friends with him, Touya. Hearing a sound, the brunet paused on the steps to glance back at what steps the lamps illuminated to see if someone else was coming, or if one of his Pokémon were following him. No one. _Maybe it's one of the Ghost Pokémon…? I wonder if they really can float through walls…_ Did that mean they could also float through Poke balls? The trainer did not even have to press the button to release the creature, and the ghost just popped out! Touya shivered – he was not sure if he could handle a Pokémon that liked to pop in and out of sight without warning.

Resuming his walk up the steps, his trail of thoughts continued down the lines of ghost types and whether what he heard was true or not. Were Ghost types really just the spirits of deceased Pokémon returning from the grave for vengeance? But then how could people capture them…? Also, he had heard Ghost Pokémon could still produce eggs… "How do spirits reproduce, I wonder?" None of it was making a great deal of sense, and he shook his head to try and scatter those thoughts.

But either he shook his head too quickly, or he hadn't eaten as recently as he thought for he suddenly felt dizzy and disoriented. His surroundings shifted and melted, his stomach doing nauseous flips, and in the kaleidoscope world around him it did not even occur to the brunet to grab the railing – he simply fell.

...

...

...

...

"Whir… Whirli?" A voice and a prodding in his side. Touya moaned, feeling parts of his bones scream from bruises and his head pounding. Blearily he opened his eyes, and found that he was staring up at a ceiling. His position and discomfort immediately alerted him to the fact that he was lying stomach-up on the stairs, sprawled out and in quite a bit of pain.

"How did I… ah…" Flinching from the movement, and the world spinning again he let himself lay flat on the stairs again. His head hurt – far more than it should have. _Did I fall down the stairs…?  
_

"Whir!" The voice exclaimed, and the brunet made a sharp intake of breath when something heavy hopped onto his chest and rolled closer to peer at his face. A Whirlipede.

"Ah… d-do you…?" Touya's voice trailed. As the horn-like antennae prodded his cheek a sudden realization hit him: this was his Venipede. She evolved.

"H-how… wh-when…?" He blinked, cringing again feeling the ache and throbs of his back and head.

"Whirl! Whirli! Whir…" The creature began, glancing around to glare at something higher up in the stairs, before turning immediately back to the brunet.

"Whirlipede! Whir Whir, Whirli… Whirlipede!" She was… scolding him. There was no mistaking that tone, Pokémon or human. She was scolding him. If so many parts of him weren't in pain, he would have laughed. How long had he been out, and when did she evolve? Did he hit his head so hard, he was seeing things…?

_What if I got a concussion…?_ What did a concussion feel like? That was one of those words he had heard before, and was somewhat familiar with… but all he knew was that you weren't supposed to fall asleep if you had one, but he had no clue how to determine whether he did or not.

"Whirl! …Whirli?" The creature's voice lowered, becoming much softer and tenderer than her normal voice. Her horns lightly prodded her trainer, and the creature gave a sigh.

"I'm fine." Touya assured her, awkwardly lifting a hand to gently pat the creature. He had no idea or clue how the two ended up in this situation – him flat on the stairs, with his Venipede now a Whirlipede.

Nor was he entirely sure why he found himself losing consciousness so much. Perhaps his own mother could take a note from Bianca's father in worrying about all the things that could happen to her children… an awful lot of it had been happening to her son lately. Or maybe she was worrying about all of that, but was much quieter about it. He should call her…

"Whirli!" The creature pressed, and nudged him again.

"Oh! Up… right… I should… get up…" Touya murmured, and the cocoon-like creature rolled off. She maneuvered herself so she could assist him into getting at least into a sitting position. He made small sounds, his back covered in bruises and though Whirlipede was helping him up she was also pressing into some. Once he was sitting, he took a few deep, gasping breaths as he tried to ignore the increased pounding in his head and the swirl of confusion and nausea building now that he was upright instead of slanted at an angle. "Hah… wow… that was harder… than I thought it would… oh… be…" He wobbled slightly, with Whirlipede dashing to his side to offer him something to lean against. "Thanks." The brunet smiled down at the creature, and shakily placed a hand to pat it. She made a small indignant response at first, before adding on a soft sound of appreciation.

_I guess she's worried about me…_ he reasoned. There was no other explanation for why she was suddenly acting so much… gentler with him. That, or evolution changed her personality entirely. Right – he had been wondering how she evolved. "Did you… catch me?" He asked, looking down at the creature. She looked at him, wilted a little, and looked away. Touya smiled, and continued to softly pat her. "It's okay… you can't be… everywhere all the time…" He wobbled a bit again, and held onto the creature to feel some semblance of stability. "Ah… but thanks… for being here, with me…" Touya sighed, feeling the comfort and reassuring warmth of someone by his side.

The two sat on the stairs like that for several minutes, the brunet trying to ride out a head ache threatening to escalate into a migraine while Whirlipede patiently waited and hoped her trainer would feel better soon. Touya's thoughts drifted in and out, weaving together multiple subjects that sometimes had little or everything to do with one another. He wondered if Dewott and Solosis were all right on the floor below, if they noticed Scolipede (now Whirlipede) was missing or that their trainer had been missing for a long amount of time – and how long had he been out? Apparently long enough to miss whatever transpired for his Whirlipede to evolve. It would have been nice if N was there... he could ask Whirlipede what happened, and then the brunet would know. And maybe N could help him to a Pokémon Center, or something.

How would N help him, if he felt so inclined to actually help? Did he have any large Pokémon friends he would request in lifting the brunet, or would the other do it himself? If N helped the brunet personally, would he wrap the other's arm around his shoulder, and help support Touya by the waist? Would he give Touya a piggy back ride? Actually carry the other in his arms? Was he even strong enough to carry the brunet at all? Probably. He helped a lot of Pokémon... the green-haired youth likely had to carry a lot of them himself... if the Pokémon let him. He had a lot of scars. There was probably a small number willing to let him touch them, let alone carry them at first.

Did getting attacked by Pokémon a lot lead to N learning the language? Or was N raised by Pokémon? That would explain how he communicated with them, and why he cared so much. Also why he never mentioned parents – it certainly was a reasonable theory. Could Pokémon raise a human as their own? But then, how did N learn to speak the same language as other people? A flaw. Speaking of languages, was talking to different species of Pokémon the same as knowing a different language, or were there dialects? Touya always thought dialects tended to be more determined by where one lived than much else, but then he was not an expert on Pokémon so he supposed that what applied to people might not apply to Pokémon...

"Whirl!" Whirlipede hissed, her body tensing next to her trainer's. He snapped from his mental ramblings, a strange distraction from his pounding head.

"What? What is it?" He asked, his words sounding awkward and slurred but at least he could string a short sentence together without feeling winded again. He forced his eyes to focus, shuddering when he felt the sting of light hitting his eyes when he looked up and his hat's visor no longer blocked it – did it not fall off, or had Whirlipede put it back on? Before or after she evolved, if she had...?

"Whirlipede!" The hissing continued, and she was glowering upwards. Touya tried to follow her line of sight, occasionally pausing to squeeze his eyes shut trying to squelch the pain from focusing again. There, several steps ahead was a small Litwick. It – was it male or female? - looked rather tousled, the flame atop its head flickering far too much for such a stuffy stairway (or perhaps Touya only felt it was stuffy).

"Li... Litwick." The ghost responded, glancing between the cocoon-like creature and her trainer. "Litwick?" It tilted its head to the side, before giving a miserable sigh and seemed to melt slightly. Whirlipede rolled her eyes, and after a quick glance at her trainer resumed staring at the ghost and flame-type. The two then began a soft exchange, the Whirlipede whispering softly, with the Litwick picking up on the need to talk quietly and responding in a gentle, if slightly dejected tone. Touya watched and listened, having no idea what was going on but being strangely okay with this. Or perhaps he was just used to being left out of the loop at this point.

But wasn't he leaving others out of the loop, too? He never did tell Elesa everything. Or his sister. Or Bianca. Or Cheren... he was leaving others out of the loop as well. Was it really just to protect N? Was it a silent retaliation? He couldn't know what was going on, so now no one else could? Did it not occur to him? ...or was he just afraid? Afraid of betraying N, or afraid of their responses? If it was because he was afraid of their responses, was it because he did not want them to toss him aside?

Or was he afraid they would tell him he was just being a gullible fool, and discovering they were right?

He shivered. _I can't think that way,_ he berated himself, and tried to force his head ache to distract him from anything and everything related to his journey.

Since when did N and his plans control what decisions the brunet made? Was it fair to his Pokémon, to his team, to his friends? No... it really wasn't. What if they wanted humans and Pokémon to be separate? What if Whirlipede had been the one to push him down the stairs, and that was how she was able to evolve? By defeating her true enemy, and now she was discussing with the Litwick how to completely get rid of him and where to bury the body?

...Touya wondered where that brief clarify of thought went, and why it was replaced by something that reminded him of a poorly crafted book in regards to plot execution and why in a way his life kind of felt like one. Though he was a bit relieved his brain could think in semi-complicated sentences now. The pain was slowly receding, and he sighed against Whirlipede with this knowledge. The two Pokémon were still having a conversation, and the Litwick sounded at least a little more at ease now than it had moments before. He was a bit curious what the two were discussing, though. It really was too bad he could not understand either of them... part of him thought it would be nice to understand.

But the other part knew that sometimes he thought it might be nice to be able to read minds, but realistically knew everyone kept secrets for a reason. "What's mine... I wonder?" He whispered, unconsciously speaking aloud. The brunet jumped at the sound of his voice, only to recoil from the pain that shot through his body at the movement. Whirlipede nudged him softly, and he glanced down at the creature. She nodded her head to the Litwick, and the brunet moved his gaze to it next.

"Li... Litwick?" It asked gently. Touya smiled best he could.

"I'm sorry... I don't understand." He apologized. The creature probably heard that all the time from humans, though. The creature sighed, dejected. Whirlipede rolled her eyes, and began to softly shuffle forwards. The brunet reached out, grabbing hold onto what he considered an anchor to sitting up. Whirlipede paused, letting him latch on and patiently waiting to be sure he was holding on tightly. Without any warning, she continued trying to move forward – with her trainer holding on, and slowly realizing she was attempting to carry him herself up the stairs if she had to. "No, ah... wait...!" He gasped, his body feeling jarred by the awkward way Whirlipede had to move in order to get **both** of them up the stairs. Wasn't he too heavy for her?

"I can..." He gasped again, this time because he almost slipped off and his body was reacting as though he had. Imaginary pain – he didn't need to fall back on the stairs for his back and head to remember what it felt like the first time. "Hold on, I can... I can walk..." He stuttered, but Whirlipede simply kept going – she didn't believe him. Not that he had been doing an impressive job of showing himself to be well enough to walk.

"Lit...?" The ghost-type murmured, before tentatively hopping up to the next step and looking back at the two. It seemed confused, though this may have had more to do with Whirlipede attempting to hoist her trainer up several flights of stairs. Much of Touya was impressed she was able to get him up three steps, but she could not keep that up. Perhaps if she was a Scolipede it was possible, but in her cocoon form the Pokémon would reach her limit and he did not want her to just because he was having trouble with something as simple as standing. "It's okay." Touya whispered, and clenched his teeth as he rolled off his Pokémon – the second landing on the stairs was jarring and he briefly saw stars, but at least this time he partially caught himself and did not lose consciousness. Next to him, Whirlipede gave some of her angry huffs and several annoyed sounds. Turning to face her, he gave the bug-type a sheepish smile. She stared blankly at him, and if he did not know any better her eyes were currently reading: _The stairs got you last time, but I swear I personally am about to knock you unconscious...  
_

How hard had he knocked his head? No one could read **that** much from eyes alone. Taking a few seconds to recover from his intentional tumble, the brunet finally forced himself to work up enough nerve to try standing again. Wherever Whirlipede and Litwick wanted him to go, it was in everyone's best interests if the human followed rather than was carried. Clenching his teeth and concentrating on getting up it took Touya a couple of tries before he was finally leaning on the railing and taking deep breaths from the effort. It felt like he had run miles carrying his entire team, when all he did was **stand**. Looking upwards to where he was supposed to walk, he was grateful at least the world was not spinning again. While his head was pounding he did not feel nauseous or dizzy this round, either. This was manageable. He could do this. Still catching his breath, the brunet nodded to the Pokémon to lead the way. Litwick and Whirlipede exchanged glances, with the ghost-type resuming its hop up the stairs and Whirlipede remaining steadfastly by Touya's side as he ambled up after.

Left foot, right foot, maintain balance. Left foot, right foot, maintain balance. Touya's thoughts concentrated heavily on just getting up the stairs, his knuckles turning white from how hard he gripped the rail on his way up. The trio moved slowly, being forced to go at the brunet's pace though neither seemed to mind (even if Whirlipede rolled her eyes frequently). Nearing the next floor to the point the brunet could see the doorway leading to the room; Touya wondered why he had not seen anyone else on the stairs. Were they all so comfortable where they were at? Was no one else at the top floor? No... that wasn't right...

Skyla! _That's where we're going..._ it had to be. Was something wrong with her? Was that why there was a Litwick there, waiting with Whirlipede? Or was the ghost-type there simply because his friend had no idea what to do? Maybe all the Litwicks were just naturally that way? No, that wasn't right... all Pokémon were different, just as all people were different. In a sense, weren't they the same? If so... why would the word 'human' be treated as a common noun, and 'Pokémon' as a proper noun? Weren't both technically a common noun, as neither referred to anything specific? Touya was a proper noun, just as Whirlipede was – but there was Touya the human, and Whirlipede the Pokémon.

Who came up with these grammatical rules, and why weren't they ever explained in school?

Another tangent in his mind. At least N was not there to hear any of this – any possibility of friendship probably would have gone out the window if the brunet's elder ever heard any of that nonsense. What did N care about grammar? Or more frighteningly, what if he thought it was some kind of political agenda people were using to continue subjugating Pokémon to abuse and servitude? _I'm starting to sound like a paranoid theorist..._ after checking on Skyla and gathering his Pokémon, Touya was going to the Pokémon Center so his friends could be checked on, and so could his own noggin.

Entering the fourth floor, Touya was unsurprised to see there were only two trainers and one guardian – but all along the walls and rafters supporting the ceiling were Litwicks and Elegyms peeking out from their hiding places at the newcomers. Litwick gave something similar to a bow at the brunet and Whirlipede, before shuffling hurriedly over to one of the tombstones. Whirlipede glanced across the room where the next staircase was. _I can do this, _he told himself while taking in a deep breath. His knees wobbled. No. No, he couldn't. His legs turned to jelly, and only his arms were supporting him. There was no way he could walk as if there was nothing wrong all the way across the floor and then crawl the remaining flight of stairs to the top. Or was there another floor, with another flight of stairs? The Celestial Tower was tall, imposing.

How much further would he have to go to reach the top? What if Skyla was not even there anymore? "Whir! Whirli!" His Pokémon urged, and rolled against his leg. Either she was trying to trip him or trying to help him, and from her earlier look the brunet had a sneaking suspicion it was more of the former than the latter. _No, she wouldn't do that – she's not that kind of girl... and if she was, why was she waiting next to me?_ A valid point._Maybe to make sure you're dead..._ a little voice whispered. Touya shook his head, immediately regretting the action and wincing at the figurative hammer smashing into the back of his skull as a result. Whirlipede continued nudging him, trying to get the brunet to get over his stupid self and get going. Skyla was not going to be there forever, and wasn't Touya trying to help someone? To help **them**? Standing there and looking like an idiot was accomplishing nothing, other than making him look like an idiot to the other people in the room.

Of whom were paying no attention to the fiasco by the stairs. Whirlipede sighed, somewhat annoyed with the human race in general. They were always so careless. Her old trainer was mindful of people, but never her kind. He didn't really care for any of his Pokémon. If they didn't do well, he forced them to do well. If they still didn't do well...

And then those knights came to their rescue, all of their rescue. But they were careless of their surroundings – other people came, and so did Touya. Touya wasn't so bad in that he was nice to them. He knew they could do well, but he also knew they were living creatures – if Whirlipede was not feeling well, then he knew she needed to be cared for and not battled. But he was too careless of himself, and it was starting to drive her crazy. Personally, she was impressed he hadn't walked into a wall yet. Touya was a nice trainer, but he was still human and was naturally careless about something.

She was starting to miss being the one uncared for. It was much harder trying to care for someone else than to care for oneself.

And those other humans? Chatting to themselves, just as careless of their surroundings as those knights were. When another of their kind needed help, they took no notice. Just kept talking, wrapping themselves in their own world starring just each other. No one else. Whirlipede sighed, because she knew even though all humans were careless in some way the world would be a much sadder and lonelier place without them. Much less interesting, as well. She continued nudging and pressing until, finally, he took some steps forward. There were some stumbles and he wavered momentarily, but Whirlipede stayed right next to him. While she had not hands or arms to catch him with, her reasoning at least maintained she could break his fall. "I'm sorry." Touya whispered, and gave a small laugh. "You're probably... really tired of this?" He wondered softly, and his hands almost reached out for a tombstone to steady himself with but fingers quickly retracted. The bug-type rolled her eyes. Leave it to him to think it was improper to use a stone slab for support. That Pokémon was dead – what did they care if he used the tombstone to keep upright? For something so fancy, whatever rested beneath (mostly just bones, if even that) was probably so royally spoiled by their trainer they would have been more than happy to give back. Not that her trainer understood that. See? Careless.

But not heartless.

She huffed in response, and wriggled across the floor at the brunet's pace. The two trainers paused at some point in their conversation, asking Touya if he was interested in a quick battle – he flushed and stammered out a no. When they tried to press, the floor's guardian gave the two a withering expression and they immediately backed off. This was for the best, because Whirlipede was ready to stab the two with her horns. Could they have been anymore insensitive? Making disgruntled sounds, she continued with the brunet up to the next flight of stairs. Touya stared blankly up ahead, before shuddering and forcing himself up those as well. He finally resigned himself to doing this. Finally. Whirlipede tried to not feel **too** proud of him. He wasn't at the top, yet.

...

...

...

...

By the time the two had reached the top, Touya had since stopped to take his jacket off to tie around his waist, only to put it back on, and repeated the process in the course of the final flight of stairs. Now, he sat down on the top step, shivering as he put the jacket on again. Whirlipede gazed wide-eyed at the scenery around her. They were up so high! Clouds were everywhere... thick, full bundles of whatever made clouds, clouds! They made her think of giant cocoons, but she knew they were not nearly as solid. Breezes passed over the two, but Whirlipede was too full of wonder to pay any mind to the chill. She shook not with cold, but excitement. She was so high!

Then a blue jacket was tucked around her, wrapped snuggly around Whirlipede like a second cocoon. She scoffed at it, knowing he was cold and she was fine and how dare he...! "Ssshh... Skyla's right there, it won't be long." Touya whispered there chattering teeth, and though he was shivering still he tentatively got up. At the top, in the center Skyla sat perched on top of a bell, just staring up at the sky. There was not fear – just comfort. She was perfectly content at the highest point in the area. Movement was still uncomfortable, but Touya pressed himself through those final feet. "Uhm... ah... M-Miss Skyla...?" He called, once he was a bit closer. She blinked rapidly at her name, and looked down at the newcomer from her perch. The redhead beamed down at her, a grin splitting her face.

"Oh, you came! Thank you! Though, I was starting to get worried... you took so long!" Skyla exclaimed, and looked around. She paused, and then the second the breeze slowed she hopped down. There was a bit of a wobble when she landed, but otherwise she was fine. "I was right. What I saw was an injured Pokémon. And I think..." She leaned forward, scrunching up blue eyes to stare at Touya. "I think I see an injured person, too!" With a decisive nod, she marched over and tugged the brunet down abruptly so they were both sitting. "The Celestial Tower is a dangerous place... you can't go anywhere without your Pokémon. Did you go somewhere without your Pokémon?" When he made no response, partially as she had not been the most gentle pulling him down, she gave a small pout. "You did? Oh, how could you! That's so... so dangerous! Oh, you boys! You're always doing stupid things, just to show off to the girls! Was he showing off for you?" Skyla inquired, looking over at Whirlipede who was also making her way over. "He was! Tsk tsk, what a task he set out for you!" The bug Pokémon just stared at her, flabbergasted at this Gym Leader's presumptions on what others thought around her.

"Th-the Pokémon...?" Touya asked meekly, hoping to get the subject off him and back to the topic.

"Right. Don't worry! It's fine now. I gave it a Max Revive, then it felt better and flew away! Oh, you should have seen it! It was so beautiful, and happy...! See what happens when you try to be all macho? You miss out on the good things in life." She nodded sagely, and the brunet realized she was waiting for him to nod before she would continue – he did so, though a bit uncomfortably. "Hee hee! Don't I have great eye sight? No matter how far away things are, a Pilot's eyes can see them!" Here she winked. "But... we've talked enough about me. Since you're here and you came all this way..." A devious grin came to the Gym Leader's eyes. "Why don't you ring the bell? I'll help you get there. Celestial Tower's bell is for soothing the spirits of Pokémon – maybe it'll help soothe your spirit, too?"

And without another word (or warning), Skyla hopped up and was already trying to pull the brunet to his feet. Whirlipede was next to him, trying to assist as well because – well, it wouldn't hurt. And at least the redhead acknowledged the brunet was hurt... maybe if they did as she asked, Skyla would help him get better?

"I don't... shouldn't... shouldn't a guardian do this... or...?" Touya protested, but his words were ignored as the other two (gently) shoved him towards the giant bell.

"Just pull the rope! Come on, don't be shy!" Skyla beamed, before taking a step back. Touya looked back at her, worrying his lower lip and then to the bell once again. Large and golden, with words inscribed all around the bell. Two large, thick cemented beams helped support the bell. The whole thing looked old, but somehow not weatherworn. Did someone come out and clean it on a regular basis? Was the bell cared for as well as the tombs of the deceased...? "You can do it!" Skyla cheered behind him.

Taking a deep breath (pulling that rope was going to hurt, he knew it, it was going to hurt), the brunet pulled the rope. His muscles screamed, but the bell rang. The sound reverberated through the area, loud enough for Touya's bones to **feel **the sound. Behind him, Skyla squealed in delight while clapping her hands.

"I thought so! I didn't mention it, but according to local legend the character of the person ringing the bell is reflected in its sound." She was yelling over the bell, still ringing and echoing. "And what a pretty sound! Touya, you are a kind and strong person. It's that kind of sound." Skyla nodded, her smile swelling with pride in being able to judge as much before hearing the sound. "I'd like to introduce myself again! I'm Skyla, the leader of Mistralton's Pokémon Gym! I use Flying-type Pokémon. When you are ready and feeling better, please come to the Gym. I'll give you a big welcome!" She chirped.

"Why..." Touya began, and she tilted her head slightly. She looked ready to leave, but hearing him she stopped. "Why does everyone keep saying that?" He finally got out.

"Saying what? I'll give you a big welcome?" The redhead asked innocently.

"No!" The word had come out harsher than he intended, and Touya turned scarlet. "N-no... I mean... everyone... they keep saying I'm this kind, strong trainer... but... but Skyla, I'm not. I'm not that at all."

"I didn't say you were. The bell did." Skyla corrected him patiently. Then she sighed, and plopped down once more and patted the spot next to her for him to sit. Reluctantly, and gratefully, he did so. "Touya... the funny thing about being a strong, kind trainer is that it can mean a lot of things. For example, a kind trainer could be someone who loves their Pokémon more than anything... but isn't nice to other people. Sometimes a kind trainer can be someone who loves their Pokémon, but can't take care of them... so gives them away, to someone who can do what they can't. But a kind trainer, above everything else, is a trainer who would do anything for their Pokémon – and they do. Touya, would you do anything for your Pokémon?"

"Y-yes, I would. But-" Skyla did not even let him finish.

"You didn't hesitate, that's good. And that was a yes or no question. Now Touya... do you feed your Pokémon? Care for them? Take them to a Pokémon Center when they aren't feeling well, let them rest when they are tired, do you do all of these things?"

"I do, but-"

"That was another yes or no question." Skyla pressed firmly. "Now, if I were to ask one of your Pokémon..." She looked to Whirlipede. "Is Touya a good and kind trainer to you?" Her response was an immediate nod from the bug-type. "And get that response... then Touya, this shows you **are** a kind trainer. And from what I've seen, you are a kind person as well. As for strength... there are many kinds of strength. I don't know you well enough to be able to say what kinds they are – but I can say at the moment confidence and health are not it. There's a fine line between being hard on yourself, and being cruel to yourself – you need to know to not cross that line." Her features softened. "Touya, if something happens to you... what happens to your Pokémon? What are your strengths? The bell says there is something special about you – and to be honest, the bell says as much about everyone. We're all special in a way.

"But the bell thinks there is something really special about you... I don't know what it is, you don't... and I don't think anyone else does. But we know, deep inside you... there is something very special. And when the time is right, I'm sure we'll all know what it is. Until then, try to believe that your Pokémon trust you for a reason. That people see something in you for a reason. If one person said it, you can pass it off as a mistake, a fluke. But if everyone is... Touya, shouldn't that mean there's something there? You just can't see it. Be patient. Have trust. And above all... feel better, come to my gym, and then let's play together! Nothing builds bonds better, or lets you feel better than a fun game of Frisbee!" With her cheerful speech finished, the redhead stood up.

"If you like, I can go get someone to help you. I think earlier I saw a nurse in the Tower... if she's still there, I'll bring her back with me so we can try and get you well enough to leave on your own!" Skyla winked again. "Can't lose that macho demeanor because a girl carried you out!" That said, the redhead dashed off to see if she could get him some help.

Touya remained seated, partially speechless. In the silence, he realized the bell was no longer ringing, and that at some point Whirlipede rolled into his lap with her body tightly pressed against his. The brunet smiled awkward, and gently began petting the creature. He honestly had no idea why, but... suddenly he felt better. Hopeful, even. _Maybe Skyla was right..._ looking back at the bell, he let himself feel the same kind of wonder he experienced as a child, when he thought Palkia was the source behind all Pokémon fitting inside Poke balls.

_Maybe it does soothe a person's spirit..._ or maybe he was just relieved to know there was someone else just as much in the dark as he was... but there was still hope, and at least his Pokémon were there with him to navigate through.

"Lam...?"

* * *

**Disclaimer:** In no way, shape, or form do I own or have any affiliation with Pokemon, Nintendo, or Game Freak. I am just a fan, expressing my enjoyment of the series in the only way I know how.  
**A/N:** Hey! At this rate, you guys aren't going to be able to remember what the last chapter was about! Am I amazing, or what? No no, I kid. School is starting up again, and once I get back to my class schedule I should be able to get back to updating once a week again. I keep forgetting I'm actually busiest during the summer. If you guys are REALLY lucky (and I am extremely unfortunate), I won't be able to find a new job which basically guarantees an update an week again. Meh.  
So, I know what a lot of you are thinking - WHAT JUST HAPPENED WITH WHIRLIPEDE? No worries. It will be explained... later. Ohoho, I am most evil. _Grins_ Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed this chapter...! Sorry there was a deficit of N/Touya goodness. Next chapter, I promise! Okay? Take care you guys...!


	11. Chapter 11

With a blast that echoed through the gym, shortly followed by a young male's scream and the delighted squeals of a Duosion. In Duosion's opinion, his trainer was silly for screaming and clinging onto him for dear life – they had been blasted out of several other cannons, and this had happened each time. Really, there was no cause for concern – each and every time, Duosion remembered to use Psychic to ensure their safe landing.

Well, except that **one** time, but everyone makes mistakes and there was a giant cushion anyway. No broken bones, no big deal. Right? Right – Duosion was almost always right. That was just how the world worked – at least, according to him.

Guiding their landing so they both reached the ground in one stable piece, Duosion made a happy sound while Touya tried to remember how to stand properly. The battle with Skyla had been… well, he had won. And she offered to give him some kind of treat for the victory, though he hadn't quite been unable to understand why. Was she like this with every trainer that won against her? Or was it because of some other reason? Glancing down at his Duosion, he made a small smile and received one in return.

His team was growing so fast. First Blitzle evolved, then Oshawott, then Venipede, and now Duosion… back in Nimbasa, had Petili evolved? How was she growing without him there, watching over her? She always seemed pleased to speak to him on the phone, and even more enthused with Zebstrika next to her on the Xtransceiver. They couldn't have been the same Pokemon they were since he last saw them in person… Touya sighed, suddenly wishing so strongly that he had a flying-type Pokemon like Skyla did, one that knew Fly and could just take him there so he could visit them…

…but even if he did, was there even time? His thoughts swirled around N, Team Plasma, and everything they encompassed.

Come to think of it… not a lot of people seemed to really be doing much about Team Plasma. Touya frowned, momentarily puzzled by this realization. Why was that? How could they listen to what they said, walk away from it chatting about it, but never directly confront them and ask?  
Now uncomfortable by the thought, Touya stepped outside of the gym to mull over the realization – or he had planned to, until he bumped into someone. "S-sorry…"

He stammered instinctively, stepping back to meet the gaze of the next challenger. Duosion made a pleased sound, wriggling out of his trainer's iron-clad grip and floated right into the welcoming arms of N.

"Hah… hello, it's been awhile. I see you've grown." The king commented pleasantly, and smiled at Touya. "I figured I would find you here."

"N!" Touya gasped, and quickly found himself falling into an almost panicked mess. He just walked into N, and well N seemed happy to see him but why? After everything that had happened, that he had said but now he was talking and greeting Touya like an old friend and…

…and what was going on?

"H-hi… uhm… you and Duosion know each other?" Touya couldn't think of anything else to say, too flabbergasted to even know where to begin.

"Somewhat. I pulled him out of a trashcan. I had asked a knight of mine to see to it he got taken care of, and it appears my knight did so. Was he with you when we… last battled?" N asked, his voice suddenly straining to sound casual and friendly. The brunet frowned, noticing it and trying to find a way to comment on it without seeming as if he was changing the subject.

"I hadn't exactly… there wasn't much of a… do you want me to send all of my Pokemon out?" Touya asked, and then tilted his head slightly. "Is something wrong?"

"I would like to see your friends again, very very much… but in a moment. I want to talk to you, first." At the surprised expression, N's eyes softened slightly. "And… I've simply come to a conclusion. They may say it is for understanding one another better, but what Trainers really use battles for is to compete... And they hurt each others' Pokémon! Am I the only one who finds this terribly painful?" He stopped short, and shook his head while his brows knitted forward. "Not you, you're not… well, I suppose… Touya, do you see yourself as a trainer?"

That was… well, given it was N now that it was asked Touya was surprised the other male hadn't asked him sooner. The brunet opened his mouth, ready to reply only no words came. Did he see himself as a trainer?

"In… what way?" Touya asked cautiously instead. It was the other's turn to not really know what to say.

"Well… in the way that you catch Pokemon to fill a Pokedex… you train them to become stronger for… to beat Gym…" N trailed, frowning as he spoke more. "No… I suppose you aren't a trainer in the typical sense, are you? You weren't really challenging gym leaders until…" He looked away, frowning as he tried to sort out what exactly he was trying to ask Touya, because he had it all perfectly planned out in his head, but now that he was actually there, physically talking to Touya…

Talking to the brunet could never be a very well-planned event. Somehow, the younger always found a way to word things that N never considered. And now he just wasn't sure where he had been going with this. Conversations with other humans were extensively more complex, but that had more to do with N always mixing up human manners with those of various Pokemon.

"N, what did you want to talk with me about?" Touya offered as a means of escape for the other. N's head snapped back to the brunet, and he gave a small sigh.

"The Dream Yard incident was looked into. Unfortunately, you were correct – there were some rogue knights of mine who committed such atrocious acts. Ghetsis wanted me to send you his thanks for bringing it to our attention. And… I also wanted to thank you. So… thank you, Touya." Though he wore a smile, it didn't reach his eyes.

"I'm sorry… I would have preferred to be wrong…"

"No no, it's fine. It's taken care of, that's what matters. Whatever... I'm going to talk to your Pokémon. I've been living with Pokémon since I was born, so it's easier for me to talk with them than with people. ...Because Pokémon never tell lies." N snapped his mouth shut – why could he never really talk to the brunet without saying something so… horribly insensitive? He liked to think Touya would never lie to him, but realistically he had no way of telling. The brunet appeared a bit hurt at the remark, but willing to understand as he didn't protest it as the elder expected him to.

"That's fine." Touya tried to offer a smile, but a part of him still felt as if his insides had been slapped. He knew why N would say something like that, but it didn't change the fact… shaking his head of those thoughts, he let out Dewott and Whirlipede. Spotting N, Dewott cocked his head to the side, trying to decide if he was happy to see the man or not. Whirlipede observed him, but did little else to pursue conversation. At this, N chuckled softly.

"I see she still plays hard to get. Hello again Whirlipede, Dewott." Crouching down to be more on eye level with those two, N set Duosion down so he could join the other members. "Would you three mind telling me what kind of trainer Touya is?"

_He's from Nuvema Town, apparently. Where's that at?_ Duosion inquired.

_And he lives with his mom_, Whirlipede scoffed and lookingly sourly off to the side. What kind of adult still lived with their parents? Honestly.

_Oh! And some lady gave him this Pokedex thing. He always pulls it out when he doesn't know what to do. Like when I had really bad gas the other day…_ At Duosion's remark, N raised a brow. The Pokemon gave an awkward grin in return, realizing that not even humans wanted to know that much about his second-to-second life.

"Okay, okay, got it. So Touya was born in Nuvema Town, lives with Mom, and was given the Pokédex to start off a journey to see the world. But that… still doesn't tell me much about him as a trainer. How does he treat you?" N pressed, and the brunet flushed when he realized his team just essentially informed someone he admired and very well crushed on he still lived with his mother. Technically, he didn't… he was out in the world, traveling across the region to…

…to battle Gym Leaders at N's request, to challenge and perhaps even stop him from finding a way to tear people and Pokemon apart. He almost started laughing at how preposterous the idea was. Touya… stopping N and all of Team Plasma. Then again, maybe that was why no one did anything more than talk about it. If someone did something… maybe…

Furthermore, why were his Pokemon avoiding talking about him as a trainer, simply minor facts about his origins? Suddenly feeling nervous, the brunet tried to fidget as little as possible.

_He's tolerable as far as humans go. Careless, though. Very careless, and so terribly unobservant. Really, it's a miracle the brat is still alive._ Whirlipede huffed.

_Says the one that saved him from falling down the stairs._ Duosion snickered.

_Like I said, careless. Besides, he feeds me. If he's dead, who will?_ She snapped back at him.

_Obviously N would. You just prefer Touya to do it, because you know he'll give you a treat and N won't because he doesn't want you getting fat which by the way you ARE putting on some extra pounds - _

"Uhm, if you two don't mind bickering…" N chuckled, watching Duosion and Whirlipede all but glare daggers at one another. "…Dewott, you haven't really… been saying much." He frowned, realizing that thus far Touya's first friend and Pokemon had not even really greeted him. "Did I do something wrong?"

_I'm not sure._ Dewott began, a big reproachfully. He paused, and looked up at N with his head slightly tilted and his eyes confused. _You make Touya sad… and you want to take us apart. N, I don't want to be away from him. You might not trust humans with us, but I don't trust humans with __**him**__. He's good to all of us, even if neither of those want to say it aloud. And you were too, once… but now… where is the N we played with?_ It stopped N cold.

It was a rare day when a Pokemon told him they wanted to stay with their trainer – but this was the first time a Pokemon told N they wanted to because they wanted to protect that trainer. Usually, if a Pokemon disliked the idea of separation it was because they loved their human for one reason or another. Standing up, the green-haired man nodded – not necessarily understanding, but respecting Dewott's words and decisions. So long as N wanted to create a new place for Pokemon to live without humans, Dewott had no interest in being his friend. This was… painful, but he respectful the wish.

"That is all very noble… Still, they all trust you for some reason. That's good! If every person and Pokémon cared about one another like you two do, I could watch over the future of people and Pokémon without having to liberate Pokémon from people who just use them." He stopped, and forced himself to resume eye contact with Touya. "Ghetsis is using Team Plasma to search for some special stones-the Light Stone and the Dark Stone... These stones hold the essence of two legendary Pokémon. It is said that when they lost their physical form, they fell into a slumber and were transformed. Now, they wait for the hero's arrival... I shall resurrect a legendary Dragon-type Pokémon from one of these stones, and become its friend. That will show the world that I am the new hero. Everyone will follow what I say! My vision is to change the world without using force. Trying to change the world by force will just make others resist. If people resist, the ones that will be hurt are the innocent Pokémon used by foolish Trainers. You understand. Pokémon are not just tools for people to use! As a result... Pokémon and Trainers who care about one another, like you and your Pokémon, will be separated. And that does break my heart… and I am sorry."

"…N… " The last of his sentence caught: _why do we always have to talk about this?_ Touya's shoulders slumped, and Dewott looked up at him worriedly. He knew that defeated expression – giving up before he really tried. Huffing, the water-type yanked on the brunet's pants. "Oh! Dewott?" The brunet furrowed his brow at the other, trying to determine what he wanted.

"I've… taken enough of your time." N stated abruptly, his insides feeling hot with a sudden, growing shame. There was a strange sense of déjà vu, of him telling the brunet what his plans were and the sensation he was slowly crushing something precious. "I'll take my leave…"

"Dew… Dewott!" The Pokemon sighed, rolling his eyes in exasperation before motioning at Whirlipede. Touya's eyes shot wide open – that was right!

"Wait – N!" Touya called out in sudden desperation. The king stopped mid-step, and turned around to look quizzically at the other human. "Uhm…" He felt like an idiot, about to ask this. And ashamed, because he couldn't ask and find out himself. His cheeks burned, and hundreds of reasons ran through his mind why he should say nevermind, forget it… "Uh…"

"Dewott!" His Pokemon pressed, suddenly wishing his trainer would be more assertive and less passive.

"S-sorry, n-" And then Dewott yanked so hard on the brunet's pants, they were nearly pulled down to his ankles from the sheer force. N quickly turned away, respecting the fact that Touya probably had no desire for the other to see his (cloud-covered blue) boxers without some kind of verbal permission. Dewott was mortified, while Touya hurriedly pulled his pants back onto his waist properly – they hadn't gone past his thighs, but that didn't stop him from blushing harder than he ever had in his entire life.

"I-I didn't see anything." N stammered, and suddenly wanted to slap himself. That wasn't the appropriate response. Human or Pokemon, that just… wasn't the right reaction.

"I-it's okay… uhm… f-fine…" Touya thought he did a pretty good job of not squeaking. Realizing doing this in no way or shape helped his trainer overcome his more passive nature, and desire rising to make good on his error, Dewott waddled over to N. Very well – **he** would ask. Reaching to grab N's pants, the Pokemon was distantly relieved when the man protectively grabbed hold of his slack's waistline.

"Yes?" N asked softly, his voice a bit stiff either because he was afraid he was about to be next, or because he was still flustered over what just happened.  
_Touya wants to know, but doesn't understand us. Can you translate to him what happened at Celestial Tower?_ Dewott asked, trying to make his tone as polite as possible. Nodding slowly, N saw no problem with translating. Especially since it sounded as if the brunet was making genuine efforts to understand his Pokemon even when N wasn't around. Beaming happily, Dewott motioned Whirlipede over to share her tale.

"I'm going to relay what she says exactly as she says it, all right?" N glanced slightly at Touya, just enough to see the nod, and then concentrated on Whirlipede. He couldn't face the other, not so soon after… after what just happened. As she spoke, he began interpreting. "_Because someone was a total idiot and wandered off by himself, and no one else noticed, I figured the child needed some adult supervision so I followed Touya to the stairs. He didn't notice me, of course. He never notices things following him. As he started walking up them, I did though. There were some Litwicks that wanted to play, but those Litwicks are a nasty bunch – I think a lot of them are driven mad by all the sad people that go in and out of there.  
_

_But I didn't know that then. I figured, if they wanted to play, they could play with the child. But then they didn't want to play nice – they used confuse ray on a person. What lunatic uses an attack on a person without provocation? So of course Touya gets woozy and goes down – and I tried to catch him, but he's so __**big**__! I think the knock on the noggin' furthered the pre-existing brain damage. It's unfortunate, but at least he isn't dead I suppose… I guess. W-well… anyway. So after that I taught those crazy Litwicks not to mess with my food dispenser, and they buggered off. And then I made sure Touya wasn't dead, and for awhile I started to think he was because he wasn't moving and I couldn't tell if he was breathing… and then he did move. Which was good, because you know… someone needs to feed us._" And she finished talking, huffed, and then promptly returned her own self to her Pokeball.

"…that's what she talks like?" Touya murmured, his embarrassing scene from minutes ago forgotten.

"…yes." N replied hesitantly. "I don't think she wants to admit a fondness for humans… or at least, isn't ready to yet." From her tone and body language, he could tell she was trying to cover-up the fact she had been genuinely worried, and more likely forced herself to evolve because she wanted to become bigger, so if he fell again there was more of her to cushion him… but it was difficult translating it into spoken and moved human language.

"Th-thank you N… for telling me." Touya forced out.

"Of course. Also, ah… Touya?"

"Yes?"

"She's right, you know. You really should be paying more attention. There's been a Lampent following you – and waiting for you – all day."

* * *

**A/N:** Holllyyy snickerdoodles, an update! A really, really terrible one at that I am so, so sorry. I can make up a million and five excuses for why, but I'll just be honest and say I will try my hardest to rush this to a finish. Also, ah... I probably wouldn't have written this if it hadn't been for the fact you guys keep leaving me reviews asking when I'll update. YOU ALL GUILTED ME INTO THIS (I didn't even know you could DO THAT). So, uh... if that was your goal, congrats on the success I suppose? Hahah... anyway, take care and I will genuinely try and get back on track with this.  
**Disclaimer:** Let us all be immensely grateful I do not own nor have any affiliation with Pokemon. Let's face it, with updates in my fanfiction coming this late, can you imagine the setback dates for Black and White 2? Phew! You guys would never live to see it!


	12. Chapter 12

_I'm going to die soon,_ was the thought that kept filtering through Touya's mind the rest of the day. After N brought it to his attention, after the elder left and the brunet began his journey to the Pokemon Center he did occasionally catch the black arms of a Lampent from the corner of his eye. He returned Whirlipede, and kept Dewott out – Touya still wasn't entirely sure how Whirlipede defeated more than one Litwick, but he was grateful she had. He had already been to the Pokemon Center and was now waiting on the airplane hanger, antsy as he tried to wait for Skyla to meet him there. All that calm from the bell at the top of the Celestial Tower had since dissipated, and now he was just worried.

Worried about that Lampent, of whom was currently hiding behind several boxes nearby. His Pokedex had said Litwicks leeched the life force out of people. What did a Lampent do? Suck twice as much life force?

Since he was little, Touya had always been terrified of ghost stories. Celestial Tower had been an okay experience – there were the human overseers, and even when his team was with him most of the Litwicks seemed to prefer hiding rather than coming out. Besides, they were cute when they weren't approaching a person. But now one was _following_ him, and there was no denying how unnerving the experience was becoming. The closest Touya ever had to someone following him was the sensation that sometimes N was, though the brunet was pretty sure it was closer to the fact that N actively sought him out when situations dictated a need to.

"Dew… Dewott?" The water-type tried tentatively, glancing back at the Litwick who quickly dove deeper into the boxes. He couldn't fathom what was so scary about something that was afraid of you, but then… there were some things about Touya that the Pokemon could never claim to wrap his mind around.  
"Sorry I'm running a little behind!" Skyla called out, rushing over from the direction of the Pokemon Center with a messanger bag flying in all directions around her. "Gym Leader stuff, you know how it goes." She laughed, slowing to a walk as she neared the brunet. "All right, I got the Frisbee and I know the perfect little patch to play at!" She chirped, motioning at her bag. "And sandwiches and treats and some drinks for an evening picnic. Pretty smart of me, huh? Got this whole thing all planned out – going to be the best treat." The redhead winked at him.

"Th-thanks…" Touya mumbled, and glanced briefly back at where the Lampent – his death – lurked in the darkness. Curiously, Skyla peered over his shoulder to see if she could determine what he was looking at, but only saw boxes. Shrugging, she motioned for him to follow her.

"So I was thinking we could maybe play a round of extreme Frisbee! I haven't had a good round of death-defying aerodynamics in a long time, and it's so nice to find someone else capable of it!" Skyla laughed as she led to way to Route 7. As she spoke, the brunet paled. Was Frisbee how he was going to die? "Touya? You all right?"

"I'm… I'm fine." Touya offered her a lopsided smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, but rather than press she merely nodded. As she rattled off the rules, he tried to calm himself by pointing out that he was probably over-reacting. Ghost-types were still Pokemon at the end of the day, and it seemed strange one would target him as its next victim if one considered he never bothered it before.

But what if one of those Litwick his Whirlipede defeated evolved, and that was it? But wait, if that was the case and Whirlipede knew they were being followed by the same one, wouldn't she have tried to bring it to his attention? Or was her view of him so poor, she felt if he couldn't notice things on his own after she did him a favor, it wasn't worth mentioning?

Something wet landed on Touya's hand, and he looked to Dewott curiously. The Pokemon frowned slightly, and glanced up at the sky. Brown eyes followed dark gray, and high above them thick clouds were swarming as if led by a single entity onwards. "…Skyla?"

"And then your Pokemon catapaults you and… yes?" The Gym Leader spun around to face him, walking backwards as she continued to lead them to their destination. Seeing the other trainer and his Pokemon staring upwards, she frowned and looked up as well. "Ah… Palpitoad dung. Guess we'll have to eat inside." She sighed, stopping finally and her shoulders slumping as she pouted. She took him by the wrist, forcefully yanked him forward. He yelped, unable to stop himself from being taken along by the hyperactive gym leader with Dewott racing after in a panic. Thunder crackled, and soon sheets of rain began falling.

"Sk-Skyla!" Touya sputtered, trying to not slip in the slushy mud rapidly forming beneath the rain. There was a flash of lightning, and another loud roll of thunder following almost immediately afterwards.

"Faster!" Skyla hollered, only to skid to a halt and falling flat on her butt – dragging Touya down with her. There was a disgruntled snarl, sparks racing around them. Coming out of the dark grass was a rather peeved looking Zebstrika, stomping its hoof in irritation. "Stay still…" Skyla whispered, lowering her voice so only the brunet and Dewott could hear her. Touya stared at it, and looked at the redhead hoping she was right in what she told them to creature flared its nostrils, staring at the two humans and their Pokemon covered in mud. The two humans held their breath, and Dewott was getting prepared to launch himself at the threatening Pokemon if that Zebstrika took one more step closer…

Flashing out of the bushes, eerie violet and blue light trailing after it, came the Lampent, slowing to a halt in front of the creature and desperately wriggling around, its flame shining brighter in attempt to captivate the electric-types attention away from the trio and towards itself.

"Now!" Skyla hissed, and shoving herself back up tried to pull Touya with her.

"But-!"

"…right." Without even pressing, Skyla called out her Swoobat. "Heart Stamp!" She called, and before she even got the words out of her mouth the part psychic-type dove towards the Zebstrika, striking while it was confused from the Lampent's hypnotic movements. The electric-type reared, snarling and stomping its hooves in a circle as it dizzily tried to remember which direction the intruders were. As the Lampent sagged, mostly from becoming drenched in the downpour, Touya scrambled towards it, trying as hard as he could to not think while he took its metal hand into his own and began pulling it with him as he, Skyla, and their Pokemon made their escape before their attacker came to its senses.

…

…

…

"That was so bizarre…" Skyla murmured as they waited out the pouring rain in the Pokemon Center.

"…how so?" Touya asked, looking to her curiously. As a local and a Gym Leader, she should have known that Zebstrika tended to be ill-tempered Pokemon. The redhead snapped from her murmurings, and faced the brunet.

"Well, it's pretty typical of Thundurus to fly over Route 7… he always brings rainstorms. But normally he brings more of a warning, being respectful of the Pokemon. That was really sudden… I didn't even know he was flying overhead until you told me about it." Skyla explained, crossing her arms in a puzzled fashion. "It's almost like he was upset about something… but what could he possibly be upset about? Hahah, he's a legendary Pokemon. If he didn't bring thunderstorms through here so often, I wouldn't even think he existed." She chuckled, though her laughter sounded nervous, concerned. As the brunet listened to her, he wondered if she did have an idea of what exactly was going on – of what could possibly upset a legendary Pokemon.

_I shall resurrect a legendary Dragon-type Pokémon from one of these stones, _N's words echoed in his head, and the brunet felt his muscles tense. No no, that couldn't have been it. Surely, it was something else – it had to be something. Somewhere out there, something was going on and that was what made the Thundurus act that way. Or maybe the legendary was just having a bad day – he was allowed to have those, wasn't he?

"Welp! Our treat has been spoiled…" Skyla abruptly shifted the subject, laughing at the soaked messenger bag. "I guess I'll just have to do something for you another time. You should probably get going soon, once the storm subsides. Before you go, though…" She pulled out the sandwiches and snacks she had packed, all of which had been gently wrapped. Rummaging through, she handed the brunet all of the ones that hadn't be ruined. "Take these. Twist Mountain isn't necessarily treacherous unless you aren't careful. Be sure to pack more than just this, okay?" Standing up, she gently ruffled the brunet's hair fondly.

"Take care!" She called, exiting the center out into the rain… presumably to return to her gym, and decide what to do about this turn of events. Left alone with Dewott, Touya leaned back on the bench and stared up at the ceiling.

"…what are we doing?" Touya asked no one in particular, his eyes tracing designs on the unevenly painted surface of the ceiling. Connecting lines that weren't really there, forming pictures that had no real design or purpose. There was only one thing he really knew in all of this chaos he was finding himself more and more immersed in: he wanted to stay friends with N, and he wanted to be with his Pokemon. But… it didn't seem as if he could do both. And in hindsight, he could tell that N genuinely wanted to be friends.

But if the Plasma king succeeded, could Touya handle being near him? Talking to him? …forgiving him? He never really thought about it, but he didn't think he could bear talking to someone he cared about after that same someone, fully aware of what they were doing, took away others they both cared about.  
Closing his eyes, Touya didn't know what to do. There were only two paths, and they diverged into drastically different ways. N and Touya were both changing in different directions, even though they both wanted the same thing. And Touya… he wanted to be with N, to be _with_ him, able to agree with him, encourage him, support him in all his endeavors. But these were not goals the brunet could do any of that with.

Eyes snapping open, the brunet realized he had made his decision already – long before N had even told him there was no gray area.

_I choose them_, he realized. It was true that he cared deeply for N, that Touya adored the man. But it was also true that the fact he was still collecting gym badges, still working towards maintaining pace with N showed he had no intention of just sitting back and letting Team Plasma tear the brunet away from his Pokemon, from his friends…

…from his family.

But that wasn't enough. Being around N, there was no denying there were people out there that hurt and abused Pokemon. Touya's Whirlipede and Duosion were proof enough of that, despite how few scars they showed from it. Just keeping the Pokemon here with people and loving them was not enough, N showed him that, taught him that.

"There has to be… a middle road." Touya decided, nodding softly to himself. It was preposterous appointing an idea of having individuals determine who was good enough to be a Pokemon trainer – even if the implement began as pure, there was too much room for corruption down the line, not to mention who was anyone to decide what made a good or bad trainer? There had to be another way – just… no one had thought of it before. Then again, how many good trainers actually considered the thought of other people hurting their Pokemon? It was a foreign concept, one that occurred to so few people. Perhaps that was why so many people listened to Ghetsis, as he introduced these ideas of poor treatment towards creatures considered friends or family.

With that in mind, Touya nodded to himself, feeling a well of determination he had felt few times before. Finally, he knew where he stood. Finally, he had an idea – that was all he needed. The idea still wasn't refined, and would need a great deal more working on… but the fact he at length had something to work with was enough to get him standing, Dewott curiously following after his trainer's purposeful steps. As they walked, the brunet outlined the basics of his brewing plan, mind buzzing.

"Dewott. We're going to stop N – we won't let him tear us apart, okay?" Pausing, the brunet looked at his friend. "Are you… do you want to?" He tried to keep his question neutral, to let his Pokemon make his own decision. Without hesitation, Dewott took hold of his trainer's pants and with equally determined eyes nodded his head. A smile broke out on the brunet's face, and they resumed setting out to gather suppies. "All right. It's really poor right now, but that's what teamwork is for… so let's say we stop N, okay? We succeed at that. But then there's still so many _problems_ left with it… it doesn't stop some humans from hurting Pokemon. And it won't change N's feelings about it. So we need to find a way… to help and protect Pokemon as well as we can. Am I making sense…?"

Dewott nodded encouraging, personally feeling this was all fairly obvious from the beginning but keeping his comments to himself about that.

"And maybe then… maybe N will still be our friend." Touya stopped, staring out the Center's window at Twist Mountain looming in the distance. "All right Dewott… it's time to go." He announced, heading towards the exit.

"W-wait…!" One of the nurses yelled after, practically jumping over the desk to stop the brunet. Touya did as requested, turning around to look quizzically at her. "What about your Lampent?" She asked, confusion written all over her face as she stared at the teen. He seemed like such a nice boy, and yet he seemed to be trying to abandon his poor Pokemon here… the only explanation she could think of was that he forgot he brought the creature there to be healed, as the rain did quite a number on the part fire-type.

"…my Lampent…?" Touya repeated, and then his eyes lit up. "Oh! No no, that's not… uhm… we were attacked, outside. That Lampent protected us… I was just returning then favor. It's wild." He explained. The nurse cocked her head to the side.

"It's awfully tame for a wild Lampent… very gentle… " She murmured, eyeing him with a wariness.

"W-well… I wouldn't really know… it just… jumped in front of the Zebstrika, and afterwards fainted. Skyla was with me, if you don't believe me…" Touya replied, mumbling as well as he realized how it looked to the woman. But, he was grateful she was actually someone who took charge if she saw something she didn't approve of. Leaning forward, staring into his eyes, the nurse tried to decide if he was fibbing or telling the truth – or even a partial truth. His story didn't make sense to her, even if he was being honest.

"So why didn't you catch it?" The nurse asked finally.

"What?"

"Why didn't you catch the Lampent?" She pressed, arms crossed as she patiently waited for his excuse. Touya blinked – and then did so again.

"It doesn't seem… right to just… capture a Pokemon when they protected you. Isn't that kind of like backstabbing…? You save me, and I force you to travel with me?" Touya asked – it seemed fairly obvious to him, but then again… maybe he had done the wrong thing?

"I… I guess you're right." The nurse admitted a bit sheepishly, suddenly realizing how many trainers came through her door that her own pattern of thinking was starting to correlate more with theirs. "Well, she's awake now. The Lampent, I mean. Doing much better… you should see her off, thank her personally." With that, the nurse hurried back to her desk.

"…one side trip, okay?" Touya asked, and Dewott nodded his consent. Approaching the nurse, he got the directions to the Lampent's rest area and went to go walk her out. Poking his head inside, the brunet tried to ignore the chill down his spine – especially when two big yellow eyes looked up at him. "H-hey… uhm… th-thank you, for saving us back there… are you, f-feeling better?" He asked. The ghost-type nodded enthusiastically, floating up out of the bed and making her way cautiously towards him – keeping a fair distance between the two.

"So, uh… we came to walk you… back home, I guess." Touya wasn't sure quite how to handle this. He was still a bit afraid of the Lampent, having heard all of those terrifying tales as a child. But at the same time, if he really was going to die… why had the Pokemon saved him at all? The Pokemon tilted her head, and then bobbed once. The trio slowly made their way outside, the Lampent keeping distance the whole way, never once coming within five feet of the brunet. The rain was beginning to subside, the storm passing finally – the brunet assumed Thundurus was finally out of the area, taking his rain and lightning north… towards Icirrus City.

That was going to make the walk back towards Celestial Tower much easier for the Lampent. Touya stared in the direction the clouds were heading, thinking. If he really wanted to stop N, strong as his team may have been… putting the burden of stopping Team Plasma on three Pokemon was a bit much.

"…Lampent, would you like to… would you…" He hesitated, and then plowed onwards. "Would you do me the honor of traveling with me… to keep N from resurrecting Reshiram or Zekrom?" The words weren't even out of his mouth by the time Lampent nodded her head, "yes."

_Yes, please! If there were a human in all this world I would wish to protect, it is the one whose ring of the bell if that of a hero! _While Touya did not understand the happy squeals of the Lampent, Dewott had and suddenly understood why N had persisted time and again after the brunet.

It seemed Touya wasn't the only one who realized he had already made his choice.

* * *

**A/N:** What's this? Another update? Two weeks in a row? My my... let's see if I can maintain this pace.  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own Pokemon, nor have any affiliation with it outside of being a fan.


	13. Chapter 13

His lungs burned and the muscles in his legs ached. The stairs only kept coming, rising higher and higher occasionally even crumbling beneath his feet. But Duosion was there to save him before he fell to the floor before, or Lampent was there to catch him beneath the arms. Dragonspiral was an ancient site, more relic than building, with twists and boulders littering its paths. Touya's eyes were determined, not letting himself stop no matter how loud his body screamed this was his limit, he hadn't trained himself to climb this high, this fast. The Plasma Grunts that occasionally planted themselves between him and his goal were not the same as the ones before. They were changing, shifting. Going from people to monsters, and the brunet no longer could recognize the team for what it stood for, but for what it stood against.

And that was what scared him, and compelled him. He had to see if the storm that preceded him here was foretelling what was to come, rather than what was.

And behind, Cheren was with Brycen battling other grunts, stalling them so Touya could run ahead.

Reaching the top of a staircase, the brunet wobbled the uneven flooring onwards. He was almost there, surely he had to be almost there… The building shook, Touya's already wobbly legs collapsing beneath him from the shocks all around. Dewott rushed to his side, checking over his trainer while the rest of his team tensed up, waiting to see the cause. From ahead around a corner were shouts and cheers. It was his resolve that got him shakily rising from his feet, ignoring the cuts and bruises that came from landing on sharp rocks. "Come on." Touya said, and Whirlipede looked to him curiously. She nodded, and the group began rushing forward once more.

Up ahead, as he ran past another giant column, was one of the Sages and four grunts. The elderly man, Giallo, had a glint in his eyes as he spoke, "It's finally time. Our Lord N will become the hero!" He announced. The brunet's eyes widened as he skidded to a halt, the words ringing through his ears. That cry he heard… and the building shaking…

"No…" The word came out of his mouth before he could stop it. _I'm too late?_ The man and grunts turned at the sound, and the brunet instantly regretted his lapse in poor judgment.

"What? Someone made it clear up here?" Giallo yelled, appalled. Turning to the grunts he immediately enforced an order, "Now! Stop that trainer! For our Lord N!" The group of four raced towards the brunet, and panicked he tried to zigzag out and away from their reaches.

"I can't be too late!" He gasped, and then a gloved hand landed on his arm, pausing the brunet just long enough for the other grunts to move in and surrounded him. Touya looked all around at red-haired, blue-eyed faces. "Please, let me…!" Another grabbed his other arm, and instantly the brunet realized what they were trying to do – take away his Pokemon.

"Everyone who isn't Team Plasma is an enemy! Use all of your powers to take them out!" The sage announced, and the grunts nodded in agreement as they began searching the brunet's clothes. Panic gripped at the brunet, because what if they did take his Pokeballs? His team were rarely in them, but if those were gone could they really steal his friends…?

And there was a chorus of battle cries, and the grunts scattered as Dewott and Whirlipede began glowing. Dewott's front legs fell forward, and in the matter of seconds a horn grow and smacked one of the grunts into a wall, immediately knocking them unconscious. Whirlipede's head rose, thinning and stretching into a long neck, pinchers reaching down to lift another grunt and toss them to the side. Duosion used a psychic blast, knocking a third grunt into one whose leg got burst into flame from Lampent's efforts.

"Th-they're attacking _us_…?" Giallo gasped, stumbling backwards. It was a rare day Pokemon attacked people – only doing so when protecting their young. Which meant… his eyes flickered to the brunet, shaking in the same place he was before while his team quickly moved to surround him and stare the sage down. The stage gave a bow of acknowledgment, stepping back to make it known he was going to give them no more trouble to pass. Touya looked up, staring at his Pokemon – Dewott had just evolved into Samurott, and Whirlipede to Scolipede. They hadn't even been in a battle, and yet…

Samurott bent down, offering his back to his trainer. _It's faster…_ his starter's expression seemed to say. Nodding, the brunet cautiously hopped on, making a surprised sound when feeling Lampent help him get on safely. Wrapping thin arms around a thick neck, he yelped when Samurott bounded forward. The rest quickly followed, heading towards to the stairs. Towards the top. Towards whatever wait for them beyond those doors up ahead. Scolipede was ahead, and through sheer brute force she knocked the doors right off their hinges, the rest following after her storming charge.

And when they got to the bridge, all movement halted and stopped as five pairs of eyes stared in awe and alarm at what lay at the very top and very heart of Dragonspiral Tower. Standing there, back to them and small in comparison to the great white creature hovering in the center was N. Smoke curled and billowed all around him, twisting with green strands of hair almost like affectionate fingers running through them. Large, mighty, and above all a legend come to life was Reshiram, its giant wings rising and falling with its breath, moving the smoke and air subtly with each movement. There was a heat that was both natural and unreal, emitting from the white Pokemon's tail – hot and alive. Blue eyes buried in coals for eye sockets, Reshiram turned its gaze to the group that burst into its tomb and quarters – into its home. Teeth bared at the team, not even hiding the fact it felt their presence was unwelcome.

"Wait here…" Touya whispered, slowly sliding off of Samurott's back and taking terrified but purposeful steps towards N. Hearing a sound aside from the slow growls emitted from Reshiram, the man turned around to face the brunet. Green eyes widened a fraction, before narrowing immediately into a mask that hid everything he no longer wanted to reveal.

"What do you think, Touya?" N asked, motioning at the great white beast. How do you like the form of the Pokemon who appears before and fights beside the hero who will lead the way to a new world?" He continued, and though his face was impassive… the way he stood stiffly, and seemed so uncomfortable with his own words, the brunet could tell he was having difficultly maintaining such a strict stance. Briefly, the brunet wondered what was happening at Team Plasma. And then he remembered the Shadow Triad, who were silent and unseen until they wanted to be noticed or had been summoned. He wondered if they were watching, if someone was watching… because he could not imagine N acting this way, not to Touya, while they were alone.

Or maybe the presence of Reshiram required a sturdier resolution to one's commitment, and wavering would only cause all of N's work to vanish in one flap of wings.

"I think… the new world you're seeking won't make you, or the Pokemon, happy. I think this path you're taking is filled with good intentions, but it is one that will only take you and those you care about to suffering and loneliness." Touya was surprised at his own words, and though his voice shook a little his resolution was there – his opinion heard. N was mildly startled, finally hearing what was in the brunet's heart. And then, just barely there, was a smile that was so sad Touya almost immediately regretted sharing it.

That was a smile that was finally forced to acknowledge what N wanted most, he could never have.

In turn, it was equally true for Touya and inside his heart felt like it was slowly peeling in two aching pieces.

"Now, Reshiram and I will head to the Pokemon League and defeat the Champion!" N turned around, no longer letting the other see his face. "This will be the last Pokemon battles that hurt Pokemon so. A world for Pokemon alone… It's finally going to be a reality." And with that, Reshiram flew upwards, and made a wide turn to return for its trainer. Turning his head to the side slightly N whispered softly, "If you want to stop me, you must become a hero… as well." He closed his eyes. "That's right. When Reshiram's counterpart, Zekrom, recognizes you, we… we will finally be even, and then you can try to stop us. Well…" N gave another bittersweet smile, "What will you do? My prediction… if the future I see is as true as your words, you will meet Zekrom. The Pokemon with yo believe in you so strongly… Will you be the one who interferes with my formula for changing the world? I wouldn't be surprised… you've already been interfering with my past ones, changing perhaps not the world… but…" He trailed, and shook his head before permitting himself to finish the rest of his sentence.

"If you want to protect the bonds between Pokemon and people, you must search for Zekrom. I'm sure it is waiting for you in the form of the Dark Stone." And with his final words, N raced forward and jumped off the edge – Reshiram swooping down to catch him, and carry him towards the League. Touya stood there, mind reeling as he watched the two forms fly off into pinpoints. N hadn't been as excited as he normally was when speaking, his words slow and carefully chosen. Not fast, rushed, and sometimes difficult to make out.

The brunet looked down, unable to make sense of why N not only explained things so simply for him, but also so slowly. As if he wanted to be sure that Touya, without a doubt, understood what was needed to stop the king. But why? If N's resoluation was wavering, Reshiram would not be there with him still. So how could he have that resolution, and still plainly tell the other how to stop him? That was when he realized there were two people behind him, and Touya jumped backwards settling immediately into the least threatening fighting stance a person could, but the brunet was no fighter and he honestly had no idea whether he could manage threatening if he wanted.

"Touya, did you see what just flew off?" Cheren gaped, and then paused to stare at the brunet. He took a quick breath, obviously fighting to not laugh at his friend. Embarrassed, Touya relaxed and weakly tried to pretend that didn't happen. Brycen, the gym leader, had a grave expression on his face throughout the exchange.

"How could this happen?" Brycen sighed, eyes watching the retreating legendary Pokemon and its new trainer.

"Why, is what I want to know. That was that guy N, right? Why was he with the legendary Pokemon? He couldn't really be the hero, could he?" Cheren sounded dubious in his guess, but there was an undertone of shock – all things considered, there was no other explanation. But still, he couldn't fathom someone like N commanding Reshiram. "Also… did I hear him to tell you to search for the other legendary Pokemon?" He asked, staring intently Touya, who merely looked down.

"Calm down!" Brycen's voice cut through the air, and both the brunet and Cheren jumped. Suddenly, the brunet realized his friend's voice had been raising, and then his visage was covered with worried lines. "First, we go back." The man ordered. "It's more important to decide what to do next than analyze what just happened."

"Wh-what…?" Touya stammered. But how could they decide what to do next, if they weren't sure what just happened? In a daze, he found his legs wobbly but following after his friend and Brycen, the sounds of his team following quietly after. They all traveled together back down the tower, and when they walked out everyone was talking and discussing and deciding all around the brunet, but not once did he participate in it. Noticing the furrowed brows and thoughtful expression, Cheren explained the basics of what he saw happen in his friend's place. But from the sounds of the conversation Touya did get, he heard there had been a giant tower of fire Reshiram released upon being summoned.

If it was that powerful… _N really can make whole new world for Pokemon…_ he realized sadly, shoulders slumping. At the end of the conversation, all that had really been decided was they were all going to seek out the Dark Stone in hopes of obtaining it before Team Plasma did… before another dragon was added to their team. And the best place to search for it, was at Relic Castle. Bianca remained next to Touya, silent and contemplating. "I'll… I'll go there next. But first…"

"Of course. You need to heal your Pokemon, right?" Bianca asked with a smile, glancing to the side at his team. Lampent had returned herself to her Pokeball, hiding away from the light drizzle of rain so common to Icirrus City and its surrounding area. Nodding to her words, they said their farewell and he began following the path back towards the city itself trying to make sense of what was happening.

All he could figure, was N told him everything not because he wanted Touya to stop him, but because he wanted to give Touya something… to find a way to amend for the two parting ways based on opinion and nothing more. Spotting a large boulder, Touya sighed and walked over to sit on it, not even caring it was slick from the daylong drizzle. Taking a short break, he rested his chin on his hands, looking down and letting his eyes water. Samurott and Scolipede sat on either side of him, exchanging glances on occasion but letting their trainer be. Duosion rested, closing his eyes and meditating. They weren't particularly injured, and were willing to give Touya a chance to catch his breath and put his mind back in order.

"I think…" Touya began in a thick voice. "I think there's more to it. I think N wants to give me a chance, but there's more to it…" He couldn't look up – he couldn't open his eyes. "But I don't know _what_. That was N, but it wasn't him… I don't think he's the only one pulling strings in Team Plasma, but he's the king so it doesn't make sense…"

"Ghetsis." A woman's voice interrupted his thoughts, and immediately wide watery brown eyes snapped up to stare at the newcomer. The woman several years older, with brown hair cut short that curled into her face. She wore blue skinnyjeans, and a black turtleneck with a white vest over it. She had blue eyes that were cutting and narrowed at him. "Member of the Seven Sages, he leads them and guides Lord N down the righteous path a king of Team Plasma must follow." Her words were curt, and to the point.

"Who…?"

"You don't remember me?" The woman sneered. "Your fought my Pokemon into the ground, praised me for serving my lord, and then stabbed me where it mattered most with your lies and you forget my face already?" She spat. "I knew my Lord N had his head in a land of fantasies when he grew a fondness for you."

"I don't…" Touya wiped his eyes, and tried to stare harder at her. The hair style… those eyes… he gasped. "You look… different." He finally realized. Last time he saw her was in a cave, and she was cleaning up after her Trubbish's poisonous attacks – she used her uniform to do so, in order to not taint the natural habit of the local Pokemon. Back then, her head was red though… "What happened?" At Touya's inquiries, she rolled her eyes.

"Hair dye washed out. Red never stays very well." The woman, the ex-Plasma Grunt, scoffed. "And what do you mean, what happened? You lied to my lord. You told him I was attacking innocent Pokemon." Her eyes narrowed, and she moved into a more threatening stance. Immediately, Touya's Pokemon moved, ready to push the woman away if she tried anything. Once more, she sneered. "A real man fights his own battles, doesn't let his Pokemon fight all of them for him." It wasn't a tone that was challenging – just an opinion the woman believed in. At that moment, Touya realized she had no Pokemon out. It was just her, facing him and showing no fear of the brunet or even of his team.

"…this isn't a battle, though." Touya murmured, and stood up. He motioned to his team it was all right, and they backed down – but none of them let the tension leave their bodies. "I don't even know your name. I couldn't have told him that." And he knew what she was referring to, which made him all the more confused. "I just told N I had seen some Plasma Grunts attacking a Munna in the Dream Yard several weeks ago. I didn't know who, or exactly when… and he told me he would look into it."

The ex-grunt stared at him, eyes still hard but searching and seeking out any implications he was lying. Finally, she relaxed and took a few steps back but confusion was evident on her face. "But if you didn't…"

"You don't strike me as the kind of person who can-"

"I'm _not_ that kind of person!" The woman snarled. "It's why I joined Team Plasma to begin with! I was sick and tired of standing by, and watching… always watching! It's why I supported and continue to support my lord, cast out or allowed in! And it's why I will track down every man and woman that dares to take that from me, from others, from my lord, and from Pokemon themselves! …but… I was wrong this time. It wasn't you." She paused, catching her breath and furrowing her brow at Touya. "Which is why I really can't understand why I have been stripped of my uniform, of my role in helping create a new world…"

"…you said Ghetsis was the other-"

"Don't even suggest that!" She hissed, though she sounded more alarmed than angry. "Just… just leave that be. That is a road we do not travel, neither in or outside of Team Plasma. All right? If you wish to remain close to N, you never question Ghetsis. But if you do not mind tearing what little threads still attach you together, then feel free to. But… please try not to." The woman gave him a pleading look, and then got on one knee – bowing in a typical knight fashion to him. "Please. Remain close to my lord, and protect him in my stead. I know what you are trying to do – both for and against N. And… and my only wish is to serve my lord, and protect all those I love. If you really do become the hero of ideals as N requests… it is my hope your actions will reflect my own ideals, as well." Standing, she nodded to him. "I will be around. If you need me, just leave notes. I will find them, and come as fast as my legs will carry me." And with that, she turned on her heel and left Touya speechless.

Another ally.

Rousing himself from his silenced stupor, he ran after him. "Wait!" She paused, looking curiously and impatiently at him. "What's your name?"

"…Rowan. Yours?"

"Touya."

"…pleasure to work with you this time, Touya." Rowan hesitated, and then forced a smile to him. "Do you need something of me so soon, aside from my name?"

"In Nimbasa. There's a Zebstrika and a Petili…"

"Of course. I will leave them a present for you." Rowan gave a final bow, and then not even giving Touya a chance she released a Swanna and hopped onto it to fly away. He watched, part of him wishing he could fly after somehow… and then realized Relic Castle was far away, and he had no idea how to get there aside from running. His legs trembled, and Scolipede was immediately there, helping support him before they gave out again.

"I have no idea how we're going to get there." Touya admitted weakly.

* * *

**A/N:** YEAH. THAT TEAM PLASMA GRUNT CAME BACK. I'm sure you've all already forgotten her though, since this fic took such a LONG hiatus until recently and if I didn't have a lot of this pre-planned to begin with _I_ probably would have forgotten, too. Anyway, until this chapter totally forgot he probably needs that Braviary ASAP. Think that'll be next chapter. But, uh... this one was a few days late. Sorry about that. Also, have you guys seen the promo for the new Pokemon Black and White 2 games? HOLY CRAP. I WANT IT. SO HARD. You don't even KNOW. Cannot stop fangushing over it.  
**Disclaimer:** Nope. Still don't own nor am affiliated with Pokemon or Nintendo.


	14. Chapter 14

"Isn't this much better?" Touko asked with a smile, her brother keeping his arms wrapped tightly around her waist as her Braviary glided easily through the air. Touya nodded his head, her words distant and barely noticeable to his brain. His lack of a flying-type hadn't gone unnoticed by Bianca, who called his sister to inform her of her brother's… problem. Now she was essentially stuck flying him all over Unova, and normally he would have felt guilty but his mind was too overwhelmed with thoughts and curiosities. The journey to Relic Castle hadn't entirely been a bust – everyone but Touya seemed disappointed by the discovery the ancient location held no Dark Stone.

No, the brunet felt himself more intrigued by Ghetsis of whom they met while exploring the castle. The Sage was why he was only vaguely aware of where they were going and why, that his sister was occasionally trying to strike up a conversation with him. _I'm doing this out of kindness… Yes, kindness._ The way Ghetsis had said it – almost like an afterthought, as if he just remembered who he was and why he was there. Touya frowned, his brows creasing as he went over the conversation again and again. The man had a more stern, direct way of speaking. Persuasive, factual, but still very… ominous? Shaking his head, the trainer wasn't sure if that was the right word, but it was the best he could come up with.

And he had been saying the same things that N had told him before – about the Dark Stone, Zekrom, the dragons, how to stop them… It was all too convenient, Team Plasma telling him so much. Giving him so much. When it was just N telling him all of this, Touya assumed it was because the green-haired male felt _guilty…_ but was Ghetsis behind what he said? Or was Ghetsis telling Touya the same thing N had, to make the brunet believe none of that had been N's idea…? Sighing, he tightened his hold on his sister and wished this whole mess was easier. More straightforward. Had one answer, instead of so many…

But, he supposed, if it had only one answer then N was right – perhaps not on what the one answer was, but on the fact there were only two sides… and both couldn't be the solution. "Touya?" Touko called, noticing her brother's grip and finally growing weary of his more subdued responses. She made her own frown, her concern for her sibling rising with each indifferent, "Mm?" She received. Shaking her head, ponytail nearly whipping her brother from the wind, she leaned in forward to begin whispering to her Braviary. It was not a resolution she wanted to make, but it was the best she could come up with given the circumstances and her limited options. While the whole scenario was still very vague to her, she did know her brother was playing part in dangerous act that could well reshape their entire region…

…and much as she loved her brother, she never pegged him for the type to be able to handle it. Yet, there he was. Enduring more than she ever expected of him. Had it been her, she would have just ripped N a new one for so much as threatening to take human from Pokemon, and Pokemon from human. Instead, Touya seemed to be emphasizing with N while also disagreeing with him… which was perhaps why he was being chosen. Both teens were staring at the same problem, and walking away with different solutions. At first glance they had so much in common, but right there in the core the two were stark opposites.

_Granted, the moment when someone loses all hope… I really do love that moment_. Ghetsis' words echoed through Touya's moment, and he tried to not shiver. What sort of man was he? Did he say that just to intimidate them, or was it something more? When he first met N, Touya could recall Ghetsis had been giving a speech that day… they were two completely different men it seemed. Was Ghetsis so jaded by humanity's treatment of Pokemon that his treatment of man was forever shadowed? Did he take glee from watching humans suffer? Was that the foundation beneath N's castle in the sky? It was almost sad… part of Touya wondered if he was unknowingly watching Team Plasma crumble from beneath. Plasma grunts falsely accused of abusing Pokemon, the real culprits perhaps still members and committing their crimes unpunished, and then Sages that were only there to watch the hope of Pokemon and humans coexisting fall apart.

How was N not seeing any of this? What crucial piece to this horrible puzzle was Touya missing? The Dark Stone wasn't going to give him answers – only a means to continue playing in this game. Was Alder right? Was all this just a ploy so the two dragons would fight, and with that victory N could call himself the true hero? It was a gut-wrenching feeling, as Touya wondered if he was chosen to be the second hero not because he was worthy of it, but because N felt Touya's resolution was weak enough he could win. Shutting his eyes tightly, he tried to not dwell on such thoughts. At the present, they were flying to Nacrene City at Professor Juniper's request. Spotting the museum, Touya immediately knew they were close to their arrival. But rather than land at the museum or Pokemon Center, the Braviary flew just outside of Nacrene's city limits.

Touko slid off of her bird Pokemon, and gently patted him while awaiting her brother to join. Following after, confusion evident on his face, the male twin awaited to hear what his sister had to say. She had never been the type to pull this sort of stunt without some purpose behind it. Turning from the creature, she stared her brother in the eyes and slowly took his hands. "Touya. A lot is going on. Not everyone is telling me everything, including you. The only person keeping me in the loop anymore really is Bianca." She closed her eyes, and willed herself to calm down. Much as she wanted, she couldn't baby him or hold his hand. These were all his own decisions, and she couldn't stop her brother from standing on his own two feet if that was what he really wanted. "I'm not trying to guilt you. I just want you know to understand my own decision." Her hands slid from his, and though still confused Touya merely watched her and waited before speaking.

Hand going to her belt, Touko unclipped one of her Pokeballs and handed it to him while offering a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Here. I already spoke with Braviary, and he's okay with this for the time being." Eyes widening, Touya took several steps back while his mouth gaped open and closed.

"Touko, no I couldn't-"

"Touya, please!" Touko cut in, taking several assertive steps forward and shoving the item into his retracting fingers. "Please! Let Braviary help you! Let him fly you to wherever the Dark Stone is, let him be there for you in my place!" Eyes watering, Touko tried to keep the tears from falling. "I know… I know I can't be there with you, at the end. There's only two dragons destined to collide, not three. But I want… I still want to know that a part of me is there with you, supporting you and letting you know at all times you **are** making the right decision. We agree with you, completely. Pokemon and humans are there to grow with each other. This isn't about whether battling is right or wrong – this is about whether forcing your beliefs and opinions on others is right or wrong! Maybe there are a lot of humans hurting Pokemon out there… and we should do more about it than saying, 'how sad, how sad.' But that doesn't mean one of us should cause a domino effect of pain and separation just to say we did something. Don't listen to Team Plasma, or N, or… or even me! Listen to yourself, and what you think is right. Because at the end of this road, it'll just be you and N… and it'll be what's in your heart that Zekrom reacts to." Finished, she forced him to close his hand around the item and desperately tried to make her smile more genuine, beneath the tears that were now falling. "So please…"

"…Touko… I…" Hesitating, Touya stared down at it. This was what he had been hoping for. A Pokemon that could fly him to Nimbasa, so he could see Zebstrika and Petilil. A Pokemon that could get him from here until the next place. But this wasn't how he pictured getting one. He didn't imagine his sister lending him her Braviary. And it didn't feel right.

No… it did. In a weird, strange way. Because this was a Pokemon from another person, a Pokemon that could look N in the eye and show him there were other humans with kindness and compassion. It wasn't just them – there were so many in the world. Looking at the Braviary the brunet asked softly, "Are you really okay with this…? I'm not Touko…" The giant bird shook his head, and reached back to gently nudge Touya. "…all right. If it's really all right with both of you…" Braviary wasn't a Pokemon he trained for himself. But it was a Pokemon that could fly, and was willing to fight for a cause he believed in – not to just fight for a trainer because he had to. The two siblings hugged one another tightly, and with a nod the two parted ways.

"No matter what happens Touya, please always remember I trust your decisions… and so does your team. Don't hesitate when the time comes. I hear the dragons of legend are powerful enough to reshape our world… don't hesitate, or the power will be out of your control. And don't let that same power consume you." Touko whispered, and gently kissed her brother on the cheek before she ran off into Pinwheel Forest, disappearing.

Standing there, taking a deep breath Touya tried to prepare himself for everything that waited ahead. Shyly, he called Braviary back to his Pokeball, the creature not seeming to mind the chance at rest.

After Nacrene City there was Castelia, here Touya could still recall the day he spent playing Hide n' Seek with N and the Pokemon. He could still recall the excitement at seeing his first trainer friend he hadn't known since he was five. Now there was only dread and fear. Now was the time, he decided, to let go of his inhibitions. Closing his eyes, he worked on controlling his breathing. Somehow, a part of him could feel it still – the bell tolling from the top of Celestial Tower. The bell that said he was, somehow, special. Did the bell make the same sound for N? Was it a different sound?

Concentrating on that sound of the bell, he could feel his nerves calming. He would just have to concentrate on that, and nothing else. Learn the chime, learn to trust the bell had truth to it. No, not truth… that the bell was not misguided in believing ideals were not impossible.

If N was Truth, then Touya was Ideals.

And he would stand by those ideals no matter what. Because N's truths no longer made sense, now that he was in a Team Plasma full of liars and monsters. How was it that someone so courageous and pure could be so easily surrounded by the corrupted monsters he loathed so much? Was N so consumed by truths, he blinded himself to reality…?

"You're not alone." Touya's eyes snapped open, looking around in curiosity to see if that had been Touko, calling back to him after leaving. But there were no people there, no human to have communicated to him.

But his team had freed themselves, and were all patiently looking at him. There were only two girls in his team… cocking his head to the side, Touya looked at Scolipede and Chandelure. "Was that… one of you…?" He inquired, unsure and afraid he was wrong. Scolipede's expression became startled, and then she nodded. A grin broke out on the brunet's face, and he reached forward to pat her cheek, a gesture she leaned in for though her expression was still that of surprise. "Thanks. I know that now. So… I guess all that's left is… convincing Zekrom it isn't either, huh? That we're all in this together, and not alone." The team nodded, and now guided with purpose Touya's steps were no longer hesitant. They were all right, in their own way. There was only one person in the right… but there wasn't just one solution.

Touya knew he could set things right without violence if he could just have the chance to show N the reality he was now surrounded in. Pulling out a sheet of paper, the brunet paused to write a quick note. He still had one more gym to go, and the Dark Stone still wasn't in his hands yet…

But the more people that came with him to wherever this road took him to, the more humans and Pokemon could work together to remain with each other. Maybe Touya was being too idealistic… but if everyone was bogged down with reality, then he wouldn't exist… and neither would someone like N. He was going to find the Dark Stone now, get his eighth gym badge, and follow N right through Victory Road and into the Pokemon League.

* * *

**A/N:** Okay. Phew. Wow. Like, I have lost some _serious_ interest in this, but I HAVE THE DETERMINATION! I... I will finish this if it kills me! (Of which it might) Anyway. After this chapter, I'm skipping _right into N's Castle_. Which, I'm certain, is incredibly annoying for a lot of you... especially because I've gotten a lot of compliments about the pacing of this story, and now I've gone and messed it up by doing some serious fastforwarding. So I am super sorry, BUT I WILL DEFINITELY TRY AND FINISH THIS ON SOME KIND OF ADORABLE LOVEY-DOVEY NOTE AS A SORRY, MMKAY? PROMISE!  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own Pokemon, and I'm actually battling Ghetsis while updating. Yup. Totally rad.


	15. Chapter 15

The Gym Leaders were behind him, stalling six of the seven sages so Touya could run through. The Dark Stone still hadn't awakened for him, a thought that brought more anxiety than he was willing to admit to. Apparently he wasn't as strong in his beliefs as he felt they were.

Or maybe he was just the wrong hero. Maybe the bell was wrong. Maybe everyone was wrong about him…

The halls were perplexing. The entire castle was a bizarre contradiction that Touya didn't understand. The Plasma Grunts though, in his opinion, were the strangest experience as he ran through. None of them challenged him, all of them respecting N's wishes that at the highest room of this castle's tallest tower, they would do battle. But that didn't stop some of them speaking with him. One of them was even giving him her old Pokeballs, unintentionally stalling him with her morose explanation that Pokemon deserved to be free, so why hold hers captive any longer? "I won't need these to capture them anymore…" She sniffled, forcing the items on an unsure brunet and being even more confused he was just letting her talk to him like this. The redhead's eyes were bloodshot, and she was biting her lower lip to try and not break out into loud sobs. The other grunt in the room sneered, the one that had offered Touya a quick trip to the Pokemon Center if his team needed healing.

"You should, uhm… keep them? As mementos?" Touya offered, trying to hand her the empty balls back. She blinked blearily at him, lower lip trembling until it broke free of her teeth. That did it. That was all it took. Mouth bleeding from gnawing on it, tears broke free as the female Plasma grunt fell to her knees and just let her wails echo through the room.

"Oh for…" Rolling his eyes, the male that was Touya's only connection to the world outside went to the girl's side, shooing the brunet away. "You're doing _enough._" He hissed, trying to calm the crying girl. Flustered and guilt-ridden, Touya did as requested. There had been a third grunt in the room, staring with empty eyes at a Patrat desperately vying for her affection by rubbing against her boots and making soft coos.

"Is… something wrong?" Touya asked as he was walking by. These people were drawing him in – not because they were all reminding him of different aspects of N, but because there were _people_, and for the first time he was being forced to realize this. They had hopes and dreams and desires… and these were _people_, and now that they weren't battling he could hear their voices.

The grunt, another woman, turned to stare past him, an empty glance that sent chills down his spine.

"This Pokemon has become attached to me. But as far as I'm concerned, a Pokemon is just a simple tool. I don't understand…" The voice was far-off, and devoid as any emotions. Between the emptiness that were her words and expression, Touya shuddered. The grunt resumed staring at the Patrat, who had taken to running off and hurrying in return with a toy, eyes very hopeful she might play with it. Instead, she merely continued to stare while blue eyes calculated the why of this foreign situation.

"I-I see… m-maybe it's because you're his… trainer…?" Touya offered.

"When you hurt something, it's supposed to hate you… it doesn't hate me… did I break it…?" The grunt murmured, making the brunet flinch. What kind of people were these…? Touya so desperately wanted to take that Patrat away from her, to safety far from her. Perhaps to Rowan – she would never harm a Pokemon. She was a good grunt, right?

…right?

"He won't go with you." The male grunt in the room sighed. "He only goes with her." He added, and shrugged his shoulders. The girl he was with had calmed, sobbing softly instead of the long, drawn out wails. Confused, the brunet turned to the Patrat. The creature adored his trainer, and no one could fathom why. Lips turning into a thin line, he sighed and forced himself out of the room and back into the maze, trying to find N. Or Ghetsis.

In his wanderings, he came across N's room. He knew it to be N's room, because a Shadow Triad member had appeared and ominously said, "That room was the world that was provided to our Lord N… I don't feel anything, even when I go into the room… but you may feel something."

And he did. It was any child's dream room… with colourful wallpaper to hide the nightmare that lay beneath it all. There were brightly coloured railroad tracks, with a single silver train electronically moving back and forth between two roadblocks. The flooring was sky blue with clouds painted on them, with a miniature basketball court, the other train trapped inside the hoop instead of the basketball itself. Attached to the ceiling was an airplane, spinning round and round and round… A dart board, a toy box… everything a little boy could ever want or dream of.

But when he looked closer, he saw claw marks on the walls. Teeth marks all over toys.

Blood stains that could never be washed away.

Picture frames that were uneven, the glass covering shattered and no longer bothered to be replaced. This wasn't the perfect nursery for a child. It was a cage, designed to trap a child in a room with monsters born of starvation, injury, and desolation. A room designed by a monster, to create a monster. But instead… N never really turned into one. Not the monster the creator wanted him to be. No, N was the end of a cycle, desperately trying to break free of it. Trying to end the monsters by being the last of the monsters.

Maybe it was because he had a better understanding of N's plans… or maybe it was because the Dark Stone connected him, in some way, to Reshiram. But he knew N would start nothing until he had his battle of dragons, his battle of beliefs. Slowly, Touya began to clean up the room – to fix the train track so it could travel freely again. To add some order to the chaos that had always been this room. He straightened the picture frames. He put the darts into a safety box, snapping it shut so anything that wanted inside would have difficulty with it. He attached the second half of the train to the other, letting them travel freely together. While cleaning, he heard footsteps approaching. Likely Plasma Grunts or the Shadow Triad, coming to get him and claim he was being too slow. Sighing, he turned to face… two middle-aged women.

One of them had long pink hair with a long white dress. "You must be the trainer our Lord N spoke so highly of." She stated, and gave a small bow of greeting. "I am Anthea. It is of our pleasure to finally meet you." Touya's mind tried to place them, and then recalled that earlier she was the same woman who had healed his team for him.

"I am Concordia." The blonde one greeted, and also bowed to him politely. "We have been hoping to speak with you. Having heard so much of you, we wished you hear some of our Lord in return. Would this be considered rude? Manners have changed since we were last out in your world…" She trailed, eyes closing wistfully.

"Oh… n-no, I don't think so…" Touya stammered. Opening her eyes again, the blonde smiled.

"Thank you, so very much… I am the one who has given peace and comfort to N over the years, so I shall tell you some of it… N has been separated from people since he was young. He was brought up with Pokemon… Pokemon that were betrayed, mistreated, and hurt by bad people…" The brunet nodded, already having heard this much from N himself. "I see… he already told you that much. But what he… what neither of you know, is…" Suddenly, he eyes hardened, containing a heated anger. "Ghetsis deliberately brought only those poor Pokemon closer to N. N was touched by their plight, and started pursuing the truth, thinking only of Pokemon. N's heart is pure and innocent. But there is nothing more beautiful and terrifying than innocence." Her piece said, she bowed again and tried to calm herself.

Touya stood there, frozen to the spot with the basketball still in his hand. But… he thought that… why would…? "Why would he do that?" The brunet whispered. The two women shook their heads in unison, either because they did not know or were not permitted to speak of why. "But… so if…" It was a horrible, sickening realization. How many Pokemon out there were actually being abused? The way N spoke before, Touya believed him when he said it was happening all the time…

…was it really happening all the time, though? If all N saw were the injured and miserable, and never the happy, what was the reality suddenly? Was the blind leading the blind…? Thinking of all the Plasma Grunts, now that he come of think of it there seemed to be something… off about all of them. Was a broken man leading broken people?

"Trainers battle to practice their skills and to grow in experience, but never to hurt their Pokemon. My Lord N has realized this, deep down in his heart because of you… but he has spent too much painful time here in this castle to admit it…" Anthea closed her eyes. "Please, Trainer… save our Lord from the lies he's been given, and give him the Truth he so desperately seeks." And with her words also added, the two women bowed before retreating out into the hallway. Dropping the toys he had been cleaning, Touya chased after the two women, but they were both gone.

_I'm not just saving harmony between Pokemon and humans… am I?_ Touya thought, and took a deep breath. _I'm saving N, too… from his own self._ Releasing the breath, he left the room he began running down the hallway again. That room could be cleaned up later. Really, it could. But for the time being… he ran up the stairs, two at a time. At the top floor, he knew he was heading in the right direction when he saw the Plasma banners lining the wall, their emblem announcing how close he was getting. Turning into the great doorway, he skidded to a halt when Ghetsis popped out of it, the brunet nearly tumbling into the man. Mortified, Touya scrambled backwards, desperate to get away from him.

"Welcome, holder of the Dark Stone. The castle that appeared as if it were enveloping the Pokemon League is a symbol. It means Unova will change." He made a grandiose motion with his left hand, his cloak billowing from the movement. "The king of this castle is the strongest Trainer in the world. He is accompanied by the legendary Pokemon. He has defeated the Champion. Added to all that, his heart burns with the desire to improve the world. If that's not what makes a hero, what more do you need? Now that the stage is set, we can seize people's minds and hearts. We can bring into being the world that I – no, that Team Plasma – desires more easily than you can imagine! We and only we will use Pokemon, and we shall rule the powerless populace! I've been waiting so long for this! I've kept my silence so no one could piece together what I planned. Now, those painful days are at an end! Go! Onward! Discover whether you have what it takes to be a hero!" Scoffing, a smirk on his face, Ghetsis stepped aside to let Touya through. But instead, the brunet glared at the man.

"Is that why?" The brunet demanded, fists clenching.

"Pardon?" Ghetsis quirked an amused brow, watching the other patiently like a cop listening to a child's grand story.

"Is that why… why Team Plasma treated N that way? And if… if N is the king now, how can you speak for Team Plasma that way? You're just a sage, you have no – "

"**You** have no place, boy!" Ghetsis roared, and the brunet caught himself before he backed away. He wasn't going to run from this... this monster of a man. "This has been a process of years! Don't waste my time with your petty questions, your whines about how to treat a person when you yourself treat others so pathetically! You speak of being N's friend, yet here you are trying to destroy all he's worked for!" Ghetsis snapped.

"That he wouldn't have tried for if he wasn't lied to!" Touya yelled, feeling a confidence and bravery he never experienced before. "If you and everyone else here didn't weave lies of the world and each other about! As his friend, I'll _save_ him from all of that! I'm not destroying his work, I'm showing him that his own work will destroy him!" At that, Ghetsis tried to stop himself from openly seething.

"Get. In. There. And lose like the failure you were chosen to be." Ghetsis hissed, grabbed the brunet by the jacket and proceeded to drag him into the open room. Squirming, Touya freed himself before marching onwards without the 'assistance.' Ghetsis scoffed, and the brunet tried to focus his eyes on the floor rather than glaring at the man.

The room was long, with water all around them and ambient light cast upon the king and his throne. Spotting Touya, N hopped up perhaps a little too eagerly – an expression of concern quickly receding with relief and dread. Trying to mask up the slip-up, rushed words came spilling out in the typical speech-giving pattern N had… the typical speech that Touya had missed. "What I desire is a world for Pokemon, and Pokemon alone. I will separate Pokemon from people, so Pokemon can regain their original power." He began walking down the royal blue carpet towards his guest and challenger. "It's time to settle this once and for all! My determination is absolute! I will prove the value of my beliefs even if it means my Pokemon friends get hurt!" Here, his eyes watered. "I have already discussed this with them… Since you've come this far, I believe you are equally determined. If that's so, prove it to me! Show me the depth of your determination!" With that, both teens approached each other, meeting halfway in the stadium-like area of the throne room.

"You came all this way to battle me… but Zekrom is not responding. You haven't been recognized as hero, have you…?" N whispered, his brows furrowing and concern lacing his words. "Touya…" He started to reach forward, caught sight of Ghetsis, and his hand recoiled. Touya glanced back at the sage, his frown deepening, and he faced the king once more. "How disappointing." N wasn't looking at him or Ghetsis, his words forced. The brunet felt a pang of guilt and a sudden fear rising. Then he recalled Ghetsis' words, and not caring took the king's hands, startling him.

"N. It doesn't matter if Zekrom recognizes me or not." Touya stated firmly. "Hero or not, I'm going to stop you… and Ghetsis." At the second name, N's face became quizzical, not sure why the other would state another so specifically from Team Plasma. "I'll still battle you."

"…hah… Touya, you… your team can't fight Reshiram. Please, don't say such wild things… have you not been explained the extent of their power…?" N questioned.

"I don't care! I'll… I'll fight Reshiram myself if I have to!" Touya found himself saying, flushing slightly knowing how insane and ridiculous that sounded, even to his own ears. But simultaneously, he knew he would do it. Staring at him with shock and respect, N took the other's hands and a small, sad smile tugged at his lips.

"It's unfortunate that Zekrom is not responding right now… you sound like a real hero, Touya. You know…" Cheeks reddening, so subtly, N confessed, "I actually kind of liked you a little. Through our many battles, I got the feeling that you might be a Trainer who truly cares for Pokemon." Feeling Ghetsis' disapproving look on him, N shook his head and released Touya's hands like they were hot coals and tried to shove the moment aside. "B-but I was kidding myself. The idea of Trainers getting to know each other through battles is ridiculous! You have two options. Challenge me to a fight you can't win, as you already suggested… or leave this place and watch the birth of a new world where Pokemon are free of people! Reshiram! Come to me!" Raising his hand, N awaited his Pokemon's arrival.

The white dragon crashed through the throne, knocking rubble all over the floor. With it the creature brought flames that rushed through the water, bubbling and evaporating it. Instinctively, Touya wrapped his arms around his waist where his Pokemon where, jumping only slightly when suddenly N was there trying to protect the brunet and his team as well. Landing on the stadium floor, Reshiram released a cry that announced it was ready to either start a new world or fight – both were fine by it. Letting go of Touya, N turned to the creature and smiled fondly.

And then Touya felt something trembling inside of his bag, with his team. Perplexed, he wondered if it was Scolipede wanting to be the first out. Instead, in his hand the Dark Stone was trembling. Brown eyes widened in sudden understanding – Zekrom wasn't waiting for a hero.

Zekrom was waiting for a chance to fight Reshiram again. Taking several steps back to offer room, N nodded to Touya. "Your Dark Stone is… I mean, Zekrom is…" With that, Touya took a few steps back as well and let the Dark Stone rise into the air, gathering electrical currents into itself. Air swirled, lightning zigzagging all across the circle that was growing in size to its final form… Zekrom. With a battle cry and snarl, it zapped blindly around itself at anyone and thing it believed could be Reshiram.

"Reshiram and Zekrom…" N whispered, eyes wide with the same wonder as Touya's, his hair moving with the wind created by the dragon's wings. "They were once one life. One Pokemon. Complete opposites, yet the same. Reshiram and Zekrom are Pokemon that appear before the Hero they recognize. Ah… I see. You really are a hero, too." N sounded so relieved. "I'll tell you what that Pokemon is saying to you. 'I want to battle with you. Try to make me your friend and ally.' It plans to test you to see if you are really pursuing ideals. I, also, am curious to see how powerful you are. Now, catch Zekrom and make it your ally!"

Shakily approaching the giant dragon, Touya looked up at it. Its red eyes were old and wise, and while the dragon longed to battle its other half… it also knew the rule of the heroes. Swallowing, Touya reached into his bag and closed his eyes. Much as he wanted to, he knew he couldn't send Samurott out into this battle. Zekrom wasn't just an a legendary dragon-type… it was also a legendary electric-type. He didn't want to ask his Pokemon to endure that sort of disadvantage if it could be avoided. There was a familiar feel, and words that spoke to him more than once. Taking the Pokeball, he released his first choice.

Coming out of her Pokeball, Scolipede hissed first at N, and then gave a wary glance up towards Zekrom. The dragon cast her what may have been an amused look, before flying upwards – already going straight into battle. Feet firmly planted on the ground, Touya nodded to Scolipede to let her know he would be fine – to concentrate on the challenge. Hissing, she rolled into a ball and began moving around in lazy circles, eyes trying to keep a constant tag on the dragon. Off to the sides, N watched curiously while Reshiram's blue eyes stared Zekrom down, growling impatiently. Finally, Zekrom swooped down, its turbine of a tail revving up as he prepared to attack. "Venoshock – but don't aim for the face!" Touya cried out, and Scolipede uncoiled itself just fast enough to snap forward, mouth opening to let her pinchers reach out to snap down on Zekrom's shoulder. The dragon snorted, arm reaching around the bug to carry the creature up with it into the air.

"While you're stuck up there, use Toxic!" Touya yelled, cupping his hands over his mouth. Rather than acknowledge first that she heard him correctly, Scolipede hissed and spat her venom into Zekrom's eyes. The dragon roared, throwing her downwards. Its tail finished charging, the creature released a giant bolt of lightning, so powerful the brunet could practically feel the tiny hairs along his arms and neck standing straight up. Touya had no idea if the loud scream was from the Fusion Bolt or his Scolipede, but after his sight returned to him from the blinding flash of electricity his Scolipede was forcing herself to stand once more, her eyes challenging. Zekrom had also landed, desperately trying to wipe the venom out of its eyes in order to see properly again. Glancing back at him, Scolipede nodded that she could – that she _would_ – keep going.

"R-right… Steamroller!" Touya cried out, his Pokemon immediately curling up once more and rolling as fast and hard as she could towards Zekrom. Hearing the next attack, but the venom still in this eyes, Zekrom tried to fly upwards and away from the strike – but its foot was the target, Scolipede rebounding from the hit and the dragon falling in a lopsided fashion. Fingers twitching towards his bag, Touya didn't even blink when he grabbed an Ultra Ball at random and threw it as hard as he could towards Zekrom. Temporarily blinded in one eye, poisoned, and flinching from the stinging pain in its leg, the dragon barely saw that it had been the brunet who threw the device at it.

Rather than resist, Zekrom welcomed the small confines willingly. After all, it didn't want to be too weak to battle with Reshiram.

To settle the score from all those years ago… all these years of waiting.

Surprised at how easy it was, Touya ran over to check on Scolipede. "Are you all right…?" She scoffed at her trainer's concerns, rolling her eyes and trying to wriggle away from his worried hands.

"Ah… I see." N murmured, walking back to the stadium with an over-eager Reshiram following. "Zekrom, who is said to lend its power to the hero who searches for ideals, has recognized your power and now agrees to stand by your side..." Nodding, N motioned for Reshiram to wait and walked hurriedly over. Picking up the Ultra Ball, he handed it to a confused Touya and smiled. "I knew you were a hero… Hold on. Your Pokemon are hurt." Whispering this, he moved towards Scolipede who seemed surprisingly pleased to see him. "Hello, again. You really have grown into a beautiful lady… here." Getting out some hyper potions and bandages, he quickly set to work on Scolipede while offering Touya some supplies to assist Zekrom. Between the two, the brunet's team was immediately back to full health. Nodding at their work, he smiled at Touya. "There is no triumph to be gained in battling a weakened opponent." Hesitating, he walked back towards Reshiram.

"Now, I **will **create the future I desire! I shall sweep you before me!" N announced. With that… their battle to decide Unova's fate began.

* * *

**A/N:** Woo! I UPDATED TWICE! IN ONE DAY! Bet none of you saw that coming. What? If you played the game you already kind of know what'll happen... gotta make SOME kind of surprise. Pfftt. Anyway, after this there's no more fastforwarding. Have actually been super stoked to write the battle between Reshiram and Zekrom. Like... you don't even. That's the only thing, really, that I've been looking forward to at this point. Hopefully can get it out soon, but we shall see. Also, BW sequels have a release date here in North America come October... how are you guys feeling about it?  
**Disclaimer:** If I made Pokemon games... I wouldn't make it autosave right after the final fight in Pokemon Black and White. _Stares off into distance_ That way some people can keep messing around in N's Castle... forever... and re-challenge him and Ghetsis as many times as they like... and watch those cutscenes... sigh...


	16. Chapter 16

Reshiram hissed, smoke curling from its mouth as two great white wings rose upwards. Touya grabbed the Ultra Ball, sucking in a deep breath and tried to gather both his bearings and his courage. They were both far too deep to turn back now, and the only feelings the brunet had left was a heaviness in his heart and a tingling sensation where his palm and fingers wrapped around the device in his hand. Closing his eyes, gathering his will he threw the Ultra Ball. Reshiram flapped once, preparing to take flight – to kick up dust and debris towards Zekrom as it burst from its confines, roaring with red eyes burning into blue eyes that flickered like lightning.

Detached, almost as if he were watching and not participating, a thought flittered through Touya's mind, wondering if these creatures did not exist to create a new anything as everyone assumed… but as something more – to show how one internal conflict could destroy in the process of trying to create.

And then Reshiram was taking flight, snarling with Zekrom hurrying after. The two dragons flapped their wings, the air hot and choking from their combined power. Stunned, both N and Touya stared at the exist Reshiram had created earlier where both dragons took flight two, their roars calling the attention of the entire castle… no, all of Unova. Behind him, Touya could practically feel the smug smirk crossing Ghetsis' face. Blood pumping, feeling the adrenaline kick in, the brunet threw off his jacket and raced down the royal carpet, not caring whether his shoes were clean enough to be on the plush surface. Noticing the movements, N immediately followed after – a race to see who could get to their Dragon first.

Having the head start, brown eyes saw the giant hole in the wall, saw the orange clouds of the sunset turning a dark grey from Zekrom and Reshiram summoning thunder and fire from the skies to aid them. Feet reaching the edge, he noticed that below Plasma Grunts were gathering to watch the final battle that would decide whether their truths would become a reality… whether N would be King of little more than a castle, or king of an entire region. Leaping from it, Touya didn't even realize he was setting himself up for a freefall until he heard the king yelling behind him, "Touya?"

Snapping too, the brunet shook his head, his eyes watering from the rapid fall and the sound of his clothes rustling past his eyes. Trying to keep calm and concentrate on breathing, he reached into his bag and threw out a different Poke Ball – a warm reassuring one, one that reminded him he wasn't crazy and he would make the right choice where it mattered most. Braviary screeched as he was released, immediately catching a draft and noticing what the human trainer was doing. Assessing his surroundings, the flying type hurriedly flew beneath Touya, adjusting a downward dive to give the human time to find a grasp without injuring either.

Above them, two dragons howled and screamed at each other.

Tail feathers adjusting and wings beating, Braviary carried himself and the human on his back upwards towards the battle. As they rose higher and higher, Touya spotted N on stop of his Archeops, the brightly coloured Pokemon trying to reach Reshiram while not getting caught in either dragon's attacks. Watching everything, Touya tried to find a way to figure out how they would do this. Zekrom had taken a beating in the few seconds it took for his trainer to follow, not having been freed from captivity for as long as Reshiram had. The Dragon and Hero of Truth certainly had the advantage. There had to be a way to turn the tides… because Touya knew none of his Pokemon but Zekrom could stop Reshiram. If the electric-dragon in the skies failed then so did his chosen hero.

_Was your Oshawott just giving you a pep talk?_ N's voice echoed in his mind, from the first conversation the two humans had long, long ago in Accumula Town. Hadn't that been months ago?

Closing his eyes, Touya wished he could hear Samurott right then and there, cheering him on all over again. Oshawott evolved twice to protect him… it was time to return the favor. "Please, fly faster." Touya whispered near Braviary's head, and the bird released a cry while flapping his wings harder. Defying wind and storm to deliver one human to one dragon. At the sound, Zekrom flitted downwards, snarling as it deflected a fusion flare from the incoming human and Braviary. At the defense, Reshiram roared furiously. Then its head snapped to the side, responding to N's calls as well. The dragons paused in their conflict just long enough for Zekrom to let Touya slide off of Braviary's back and into the creature's arms, while N jumped from Archeops onto Reshiram's leg.

"Zekrom… here." Touya whispered, reaching upwards while the dragon lowered its head, mouth opening to quickly eat the full restore his trainer offered. Adjusting his place on his Pokemon's chest, Touya noted N had done much the same. Practically equal grounds… almost equal grounds. Eyes flicking around, taking in their surroundings, Touya gently patted Zekrom's torso. "Whatever you do, try to avoid hitting the human, N…" He whispered. After he spoke, a slight electrical current rushed up, tickling and gently zapping his back, Touya arching slightly at the sensation, wanting to get away but being pulled back simultaneously. Words flittered through his mind, soundless and foreign, _why not?_ Gasping, eyes wide and terrified, Touya didn't question who or where the question originated – the pulse generated between himself and the Pokemon answered that quite simply. "Ah… w-we're here to win… not kill. Death isn't victory." Touya answered, still shivering from the strange sense of connection.

_Hmm. Indeed, you are the Hero of Ideals._ The words flittered through his mind, there whether the brunet's eyes were open or closed. Instead of giving his chosen a chance to mull over the meaning Zekrom continued, _if we wish to win, directing me soon would be of interest to us equally. _"R-right…" Nodding his head, body still trembling he held on tightly to the creature's arm. "Take a sharp dive to the left, and then use –" _Fusion Bolt? Very well._ The order went heard without needing to have been spoken, and across the ways Reshiram was rising faster, and faster into the skies while its opponent fly downwards as directed.

The wind whipped around them both, and as they plummeted Touya realized his hat was no longer on his head. When and how long ago had that happened? Abruptly, the fall stopped when Zekrom caught air and swung back around to shoot out a huge bolt of lightning from its mouth. There were screams of Plasma Grunts below, all chanting, "Win My Lord! Victory for Team Plasma!" the wind howled and the thunder roared – no… that wasn't thunder. Zekrom's turbine was spinning, the lightning it generated echoing in thunder all around them in this storm.

_Well, it's pretty typical of Thundurus to fly over Route 7… he always brings rainstorms. But normally he brings more of a warning, being respectful of the Pokemon._ Skyla's words repeated in his brain, and Touya wondered if this clash would summon the other legendary again. Or would Thundurus stay out of this internal conflict made physical?

Zekrom's fusion bolt hit its mark – Reshiram's wings, but only after the white dragon sent flames searing across the sky down, downwards at them. "D-DODGE! LEFT"! Touya barely gasped out, Zekrom spinning to the side, trying to get out of range of the attack. The creature let out a barely audible screech, the fire singing part of the dragon's leg. Above them, Reshiram was yelling as the electricity traveled across its wings and through its body. Horror dawned upon Touya, and desperately he looked up, begging and wishing the strike didn't also hit N. They were too far – he couldn't see. Were electrical attacks out of order? The white dragon's turbine was spinning faster, faster and brown eyes widened in horror.

Urgency surged through this body, screaming at him to give a command, **any** command before that fire hit them a second time. Not knowing whether the urgency came from self-preservation or Zekrom's anger, Touya didn't care and just yelled, "Please! Please, use…" He gasped, the attack jumping from his mouth unbidden, "Zen headbutt, don't move forward, move like… like lightning." Moving into motion, Zekrom flapped its wings and angrily flew towards Reshiram, dashing abruptly left, right, up, sideways… the brunet's stomach twisted and churned, his body feeling sick and nauseous from the wild, jerky movements. Like a roller coaster form Nimbasa gone horribly wrong – he wanted a ride softer, soother, something more gentle, like a Ferris wheel -

_The human mind is amazing in how much calculations it performs without knowing any of the formulas. Most children can ride a two-wheel bike before they even know their multiplication tables. They don't even know what algebra means, or geometry… oh, they know about shapes. But most children don't know what A=π · r² is. Do you? That's the area of a circle. Very important to keep in mind when designing the wheels for a bike and the size of the person the bike is intended for. The area is also important in use for the design of something like a Ferris Wheel… do you see what I am getting at?_ Those equations of N's, the simple explanations, back then, long before he knew, before he even knew…

_I am the King of Team Plasma._ Why did those eight, barely meaningful words always come back to haunt him? Why?

Zekrom's skull crashed into Reshiram, who recoiled from the strike. Flipping to the side, the white dragon made sure that N was still holding tightly to the leg – Touya sighed in relief, seeing that apparently the fusion flare had not hit the other human.  
Was it wrong he was concerned for the other's well-being in this fight?

"Do you… really think you can stop us with that?" N called out, gritting his teeth as he used all his upper body strength to hold tight. "Reshiram! Hyper Beam!" He yelled.

"Mo-" The words didn't even leave Touya's mouth before Zekrom was using its own legs to shove off of the white dragon – only Reshiram's mouth shot forward, clamping down onto Zekrom's shoulder. Roaring, turbine almost shaking from the power and rage building within, Zekrom tried shaking the other off – but the white dragon refused to let go, eyes glowing. "A-again!" Touya yelled, and distantly he could hear N calling for Archeops. But why would he…?

Zekrom head reeled back, preparing to smash its skull into Reshiram's once more in hopes of breaking free. When he did so, Reshiram opened its mouth and released a blast of energy – shooting its opponent right in the face. Screeching and flailing, Touya felt his dragon's hold loosen and once more he was plummeting down. From the corner of his eyes, he saw bright feathers diving after. That was why… eyes clenching shut, the brunet willed himself to not give up. Sure, he may have fallen for N's trap… sure, N may have realized Touya's greatest weakness was his own resolution…

"…NO!" Touya screamed, and rolled in the air away from a startled Archeops – one who had assumed the human **wanted** to be saved. _No! It's not a weakness!_ Touya screamed at himself. There was nothing between himself and the ground, save a feeble prayer that either Zekrom would come to his senses or Braviary would notice the trainer had nothing to keep him from his death. No – his determination to save them both was not a weakness. But N had taken advantage of something, and it was the knowledge that he knew Touya would never harm him.

Arms wrapped around him, and the strange static that connected human to dragon was reformed the second scales touched fabric and skin. Blowing out a breath of relief, Touya considered himself lucky to have nothing broken yet and still an awareness of self. Human in tow, Zekrom flew back into the sky. _What is it you wish of me now, Hero?_ The words were back, pressuring Touya to make a decision. To take act without thinking. No… that was what everyone wanted of him, wasn't it? But he needed to observe, to learn…

…to use formulas in the same way N was right then, green eyes calculating and deciding.

_Formulas express electricity and its connection to Pokemon… If people did not exist, this would be an ideal place._ It all came down to math for N, didn't it?

Fighting Reshiram with N attached to it was too dangerous – not because N could so easily predict Touya's decisions from previous battles and observations, but due to the fact Touya would never forgive himself or feel this battle worth winning if anything happened to the man in the middle of it. N's greatest threat was simply being there. Bright colours caught his eyes again, and Touya disregarded the urgency as he watched Archeops return to the castle to await further instruction. Looking back up at Reshiram, who was taking Zekrom's injury and Touya's temporary silence as a chance to recharge from the hyper beam. Below, the Plasma Grunts were still chanting. The air still cracked and sizzled.

_I actually kind of liked you a little._ A surprisingly soft, timid confession from N. In what way, exactly, did he like Touya… if only a little? What extent was that fondness? Apparently it went deep enough the other just as equally could not forgive himself to just let Touya plummet to his death… even though that easily would have won him the battle.

That was it, then? They shared the same weakness. Different opinions, and at the end… they were each other's ultimate weakness.

"Zekrom. I have a plan… but I'll need you to help me put it together. All right?" Touya whispered. _What is this idea, Hero?_ The words inquired, curiosity piqued only enough to humor the human long enough to listen without further insisting on immediate orders. Trying hard as he could, the brunet tried to let his own thoughts filter into Zekrom's. Giving a slow nod in confused understanding, the black dragon began flying up again. _I thought I was to not harm the other Hero?_ Zekrom wondered idly. "You won't be hurting him…" Touya murmured, eyes watering from the wind, and from final decisions.

Not even bothering to hide its intent, Zekrom flapped its wings in sync with the brunet's heartbeats – erratic, rapid, and without faltering for a split second. Reshiram flapped a little higher from its original place, and opened its mouth for another fusion flare, the flames licking around the dragon's muzzle hungrily. Noticing the velocity that Zekrom was gaining despite flying upwards, N felt alarm bells go off in his head. "Reshiram, you won't have time you need to-" Hearing the first start of the order, Reshiram snapped its mouth shut and hurriedly began to maneuver out of the way.

Spotting the switch in tactic, Zekrom didn't bother to stop his reckless flight forwards. But, he did roll to his side – and released a carefully controlled fusion bolt, just barely big enough to smack the unsuspecting Reshiram in the face, but small enough the electricity would at worst give N the power of tiny static shocks for the next two days. Not even waiting for Reshiram to regain himself, Zekrom flew straight towards the white dragon, N still trying to remain attached to the leg. Green eyes widened in surprise seeing the black creature barreling at them, surprised the brunet would order such a bold move.

Using zen headbutt into Reshiram's belly, the hit made Reshiram breathless and caused enough force that N felt himself slung right off the creature – with his turn to fall. Immediately pulling his fingers into his mouth, he whistled for his Archeops. The flying-ground type took off right for his trainer. While he was being rescued, Touya out a sigh of relief and nodded to Zekrom. The dragon recognized the signal, and began flapping its wings even harder. The drafts of hot air dimished slightly when Reshiram's turbine slowed from the hit, and the dragon of ideals had to work harder to get higher. Noticing the strange, direct flight upwards, Reshiram glanced to see its hero was fine, and then quickly followed.

"No! We need to follow!" N gasped, urging Archeops to pursue. The creature released a desperate cry, and attempted to hurry after the much larger, and stronger dragons. The clouds parted for the dragons of black and white, the thunder growing louder in the higher altitude. Touya heard his ears popping, and he took a deep breath while he still could get the air he needed. Stopping, Zekrom dashed to the side as Reshiram followed, roaring angrily after the claimed cowardice of the two.

"Now…" Touya breathed, and Zekrom fired up his turbine. Across from them, Reshiram mimicked the act. Tightening his hold on the human, both arms wrapping protectively around the smaller form, Zekrom flapped his wings to keep them both afloat in this final showdown. Both dragons were surrounded by a huge wall of deep grey clouds, fire and lightning churning the wall into a constant, dizzying movement.

_I meant… Touya, you're a good guy. A great friend. But you don't… sometimes people take advantage of you being a good person. That bunch is a waste of oxygen._ Cheren had called Team Plasma a waste of oxygen. Was anyone or thing really a waste of it, though? The brunet couldn't agree with being a great friend, or being a person good enough to take advantage of. But he did understand Cheren's concern over Touya's initial innocence. Especially now that he had seen how blinded someone innocent could be.

How blinded anyone could be by innocence.

_And what a pretty sound! Touya, you are a kind and strong person. It's that kind of sound._ Did the bell ring the same for N? Ultimately, was that why he was so special? Not because he was a chosen hero, not because he was filled with some sort of rare strength…  
But because the bell tolled for him the same it had for N? Was the real reason the dragons chose both of them not because they had more resolution than anyone else in Unova, but because they were connected as deeply as their differing conclusions? Had N been right? Was life really a mathematical formula, and at the end of the exercise both students realized that just as variable Reshiram and variable Zekrom equaled each other, variables N and Touya equaled one another?

This high in the altitude, ears popping and lungs aching with oxygen widely rather than closely dispersed, the brunet felt hot and dizzy. Body sick and weak. Through bleary eyes, he saw the violet flashes erupt from Zekrom's mouth, piercing right through Reshiram's startled, bright red flames. The dragonbreath overwhelmed the fire, and smashed the white dragon from head to toe, the power raw from a long slumber spent waiting for the right moment to final be released.

Falling from the sky like a star, Reshiram fell out of the wall of flames and lightning. Without hesitation, Zekrom dashed down afterwards. Feeling the pressure around him normalizing to what he was accustomed to, Touya tried to control himself from taking in too deep of breaths. He swallowed hard, hoping to will his ears to stop snapping and popping and cracking. When they broke out of the clouds, there was a flash of a face etched with horror and agitation – N had been trapped beneath the clouds, his Archeops incapable of piercing the barrier formed by the dragon's rage. Then he spotted his dragon falling and Zekrom chasing after, and suddenly they were all falling downwards, downwards now in a spiral. Feeling sick again, Touya tried to not vomit – no longer sure how much longer his body could handle any of this.

With a crash, knocking in one of the castle's ceilings, Plasma Grunts screamed and scattered from the wreckage of Reshiram's fallen body. Landing next to the unconscious and prone white dragon, Zekrom pulled his head backwards – preparing one final dragonbreath to put its counterpart out of this both their existences permanently. "Stop!" Touya gasped out, right as N screamed, "NO!"

Swinging its head to the side, Zekrom released the dragonbreath blindly into the sky, destroying one of the pillars erected in honor to the dragon of truths. "Th-thank you…" Touya whimpered, body trembling. For some reason, he was surprised the dragon had even bothered to listen to him. Landing next to Reshiram's body, N jumped off of Archeops and ran to the creature's side, inspecting the body to verify that yes, the dragon was still alive. Shoulders trembling, Touya wasn't sure if the other trainer was shaking from relief, anger, fear, confusion… a mixture of both? None of them?

"Are you… have you lost your mind?" N gasped out finally, once he had ascertained Reshiram was fine, and returned the dragon to its Pokeball. Looking up at the brunet who was trembling on his own in Zekrom's arms, the green-haired man was torn between crying out in frustration in relief. "Touya, do you… humans are meant to get that high in the sky! You could have **killed** yourself up there like that! And… and, then you just…" He made a wild, angry sweeping motion. "We battle each other, not just… just leave the other behind to wonder what's going on, if you… I mean, if…" He choked back, his fists clenching and unclenching while his eyes dashed fearfully between the wreckage and the black dragon. Sucking in a deep breath, he tried to force himself to calm down.  
"N… I…" Stopping himself, Touya realized he had no idea what to say. What could he say? While he won the fight between the dragons, that didn't mean he and N's teams couldn't still fight. Would they need to?

"Everything's ruined. The truth I held… The dreams Pokemon shared…" N whispered, closing his eyes. "Reshiram and I were beaten." He added, sadly.

"…my lord…?" One of the Plasma Grunts whispered. Snapping up, the green-haired man hurriedly tried to blink away tears noticing several of his followers approaching the rubble curiously. A few of them sent searing glares at the brunet, who simply ignored the looks because really, how could he respond to any of them? "Sorry I crushed everything you were working so hard for, but I've come to learn all you've been told is a huge fat lie and I was actually trying to break it to you nicely?" Somehow, he doubted that would work well for anyone. Not to mention he wasn't sure he could form sentences that complex – his body ached too much and his head felt too light, as if it would float off his shoulders at any second.

"His ideals… his feelings… they were stronger than mine, it seems…" N sighed, resigning to his loss.

"B-but… my Lord!" A male grunt cried out, blue eyes desperate, glancing between the two heroes. "Y-you still have your team, right? Can't they… you can still win!"

"Reshiram lost to Zekrom. The battle was between the dragons to decide the true hero of two chosen. To send my team in against Zekrom is to wish harm upon my Pokemon – why would I want that? It defies our goal." N explained wearily. The male grunt's eyes narrowed, and he shook his head sending an orange ponytail flying back and forth.

"My Lord, I object! Some sacrifices must be made for the common good! How could you turn your back so readily on not just yours, but our dreams as well?" The male grunt snarled. At this, N jumped – startled by the statement.

"Sacrifices…?" And then green eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. "No goal is worth sacrificing a life. Sending in any non-lengendary Pokemon against Zekrom is murder, practically. I will not murder any of my friends, just as I would not murder any human for having done so." The king's piece said, he huffed and approached Zekrom.

"…traitor. Fine!" The male grunt snarled, and grabbed one of his Pokeballs. Whipping around, N reached for one and threw it at the same time the male grunt did. Zoroark jumped out, growling, her fur sticking upwards in agitation. From the male grunt's Pokeball a Garbodor came out, hissing in confusion at finding himself confronted with a battle between itself and **N's** Zoroark. As this unfolded in front of him, Touya felt dizzy with more and more questions. Was a Plasma Grunt threatening his king…? When did Zorua evolve?

A crack resounded, and all eyes went back to the male grunt – who was currently screaming on the ground, clutching at his face. Next to him, a female grunt was moving back to a standing position – as if she had just kicked him right in the face. Pulling off her hood, brown hair and a familiar face emerged.

"Rowan? What are you…?" N began, brows rising in surprise.

"We'll take care of this." Rowan stated, gave a brief bow, and released her own Garbodor who roared.

And then the grunts fell into a wild, insane frenzy of Pokemon who should have been freed already being released from their Pokeballs to fight in a giant free-for-all.

"What's going on?" N gasped, stumbling back mortified as he watched the once united fall apart.

"N! Please…" Touya gasped, finding his voice strained. Perhaps he had been too high up? Confused, but still trusting the brunet, N ran over to Zekrom. "Please…" Touya pleaded, and with a sigh Zekrom used its other arm to lift the king upwards and into its chest as well. Calling back both Archeops and Zoroark, N held tightly onto the black dragon's arm as it catapulted the two humans into the air with it.

"What's going on?" N repeated, his mind desperately trying to wrap around the devolving situation.

"…perhaps Ghetsis knows…" Touya whispered. Taking the hint, Zekrom headed upwards and back towards the throne room. As the grunts below fought with each other, the brown-haired trainer felt relief. He had been worried Rowan was lying to him, that she wasn't serious when she offered her help. But there she was, just as his note requested… she really had shown up to infiltrate the Plasma Castle, to help him if he needed it at the end.

Of course, that help hadn't happened until N was in danger, but still.

As they flew back into the throne room, chills were constantly riding up his spine. N had never seen the Plasma Grunts react that way before – and he disliked the ominous way Touya had stated that the sage would have the answers. What was going on that no one had been telling him? Or had he been so caught up in his truths, he stopped paying attention to everyone around him and missed something important? Watching a grunt he exiled only return to help save him, N wondered if had failed somehow as a king. What went wrong?

Landing on the carpet, N stumbled when Zekrom carelessly dropped him. He could hear Touya gently chiding the dragon, and felt a little envious when the black dragon cautiously set the other human down. In the brief moment of just the two together, N took two strides to stand next to the brunet, and offer his arm for support. Grateful, Touya happily accepted it. They began walking towards the entrance to the room. "Zekrom and Reshiram…" N murmured, and by the tilt of head he knew the hero of ideals was listening. "Each of them choosing a different hero… is that even possible? Given at the end, they are the same… Two heroes living at the same time – one that pursues ideals and one that pursues truth." The king was whispering, almost afraid that if he spoke too loudly the chaos outside would follow them inside, as well.

"Could they… could we both be right?" N mused, and got a small chuckle from Touya. A small smile quirked at N's own lips. "Have you been thinking that this whole time…? And never told me. How… like you." The king sighed. "I don't know. Perhaps it's not by rejecting different ideas, but by accepting different ideas that the world creates a chemical reaction. This is truly a formula for changing the world." He decided, and then nodded his head.

"N…"

"Yes?"

"I love it when you talk math." Touya murmured. "I hadn't… realized it until you stopped." He added. Feeling his cheeks heat up, N looked off to the side. No one had… been happy to hear him talk about math before. Trying to ignore those strange feelings and sensations N experienced around Touya before, he attempted to stare straight forward. Taking long, furious strides towards them was Ghetsis. Familiar with that gait, N made Touya stop with him at the north end of the stadium in the throne room, and gently pulled away to meet Ghetsis halfway.

"N…?"

"After all of that, do you think you're still worthy of sharing the name Harmonia with me?" Ghetsis snarled, and it was the loud, resounding smack that made Touya realize the sage had slapped his king.

And then the words sunk in.

"He's your-?"

"You good-for-nothing boy!" Ghetsis roared, and N's head was still to the side from when he had been hit, cheek turning red from the slap but he said and did nothing.

"Wh-what are you doing?" Touya yelled, his throat hoarse but he didn't flinch from how the holler burned his throat. "He's your son!" The emphasis on son came out broken, the hero's voice cracking near the end. Glancing slowly back at the brunet, N felt a small sense of gratitude. He hadn't heard anyone speak for him like that since Concordia was allowed to visit him all the time, instead of some of the time.

Scoffing at the brown-haired teen's words Ghetsis figured he might as well explain his pathetic son's existence to this… this _problem_ child. "To start with, I spurred N into pursuing the truth. You think a child like him could come up with something so complex on his own?" The man sneered. "Hardly. The reason we awakened the legendary Pokemon now was to give **MY** Team Plasma power!" And then Ghetsis' lips curled upwards in an ugly, smug grin. "Ah… I'm sure you can hear them outside now, rioting against the king that failed them."

As his father spoke, N's eyes slowly began to widen as sudden, horrible realization began to wash around him. He felt sick.  
"Power to control the fearful masses! That at least was well-down. Even if you saw us in the Dream Yard, preparing for that." Ghetsis snorted over at Touya. "And how **touching** of you to share that with my failure king. Made it so much easier to get rid of his more irritating 'loyalists.' So **proud** of my son when I realized he was so perfectly raised to trust humans so poorly, he doesn't even recognize when he should." There was a barking laughter. Walking back to his son, Ghetsis leaned in close to the other's ear. "After saying you had put your beliefs on the line and battle to see which one chosen by the legendary Pokemon was the true hero… **You lost to an ordinary trainer!**" Ghetsis roared, N flinching back from the screaming in his ear. "**There is such a thing as being too stupid!** Congratulations – YOU BECAME JUST THAT!" He hollered, and turned abruptly from his son to glower at the brunet. "Add it up…

And he's nothing more than a warped, deformed boy." Ghetsis spat.

"N-no he's not!" Touya yelled back, shaking his head and then looked desperately to N. "Y-you're not…"

"Of course he is. He knows nothing but Pokemon." Ghetsis pointed out.

"N-no! He knows more than that! He… he taught me what the area of a circle is…" Touya murmured feebly. At this, Ghetsis began howling with laughter.

"The area of a circle? Hah! A mere **child** knows as much… which is all the more reason it was pathetic he lost to **you**." There was disgust in Ghetsis' eyes. But N wasn't looking at him, he was peering curiously at Touya.

"N-no they don't. A-actually, a lot of schools don't teach a lot of that… and… he taught me that there's a lot of formulas connecting not just nature to Pokemon, but people to Pokemon… and people to people." Touya was no longer looking at Ghetsis, he was returning N's inquisitive gaze. "He can't teach what he doesn't know… right, N? I mean, I…" He hesitated, his heart clenching because of all the times he ever wanted to say this, admit this aloud… he never wanted it to be spoken in front of Ghetsis, to bare the sensitive parts inside of him around someone so cruel and deceitful. "I love you, N. And I love you because you're **you**, and you're honest and so much more than just a human or a hero…"

There was an odd silence, between N trying to decipher what exactly Touya just confessed to him, and Ghetsis' face turning as purple as his cloak. "Is this some sort of sick **joke**?" The sage asked, his voice thick. "Are you **kidding** me? No one, **no one** could love that twisted thing of a man!"

"I-it's not a joke! I-I do… a-and so does Z-Zoroark… a-and…" Now that he started stammering, felt the silence of no response, a shame and guilt was quickly overcoming the hero of ideals. It was stupid, he shouldn't have said anything…

"Touya! I never would have thought a legendary Pokemon would choose a trainer like you! **Especially** now that I know you… just, of all people my twisted soul of a son?" Ghetsis scoffed. "Perhaps the legendaries only select those with twisted tastes and souls. Regardless, this changes neither my plans nor my goals. In order to rule the world utterly, in order to manipulate hearts of the people who know nothing, I will still have N be the king of Team Plasma. Though given his more recent screw-up, that will be tricky to maintain." Giving an exasperated sigh, he shook his head. "But, for that to work, since you know the truth…"

"W-wait! What do you mean? Rule the world…?" Touya's eyes fluttered. Wasn't this a jaded man, willing to destroy humanity after watching all they had done?

And then Ghetsis was really rolling with laughter – harsh, and cruel.

"How naïve you are! After everything you saw and heard, you think I care about anything but? That was just a convenient lie that I needed to create Team Plasma."

That. Right there, those simple words snapped N from his silent ponderings and he could feel his own blood beginning to boil.

"You… what?"

"Hah! Just the blind leading the blind, huh?" Ghetsis laughed. "Use your heads. What's to be gained from letting go of useful things like Pokemon? Certainly, working with Pokemon helps people expand their possibilities. That much I can agree with. So it naturally follows that only I should be able to use Pokemon!"

"Are… are you insane?" Touya whispered, his skin becoming cold and clammy with a whole new fear standing before him.

"You can say whatever you want. A Pokemon, even if it is revered as a deity, is still just a Pokemon. So regardless of a legendary selecting you as a so-called 'hero,' you are just a human! The only threat you pose is so long as your heart beats and you know the truth." The words weren't even out of his mouth when Touya felt something cold and metal puncture into his lower back.

* * *

**A/N:** AUUUGGGHHHH. SO CLOSE. SO. CLOSE. TWO. MORE. CHAPTERS. AUUGGGHHH. _Crumples into a dead heap_ Okay. So I got so excited and stoked for this chapter, right when I got home from work and errands, I started working on this. It's not even beta-ed, so if you guys spot a typo or weird-sounding sentence, don't be shy in telling me. Not sure when I'll get a chance to proofread. Or when the next chapter will be up (I'll try to do so before I go out of town, this one leaving on a cliffhanger and all). Anyway. Ahem. I took Cheren and Alder out of this, because technically I think the game had them in there since it won't give any lines to the main character outside of "yes or no" options. But, since this is a fanfic, Alder and Cheren aren't there yet. Booyah. Also, Archeops doesn't know Fly in the battle with N, but I kind of needed it to know Fly for this. I really, reallyhope you guys enjoyed reading Reshiram and Zekrom's fight as much as I enjoyed writing it. I tried to make it about as mental as it was physical, as to me the battle between Reshiram and Zekrom is a physical manifestation of the entire game's inner struggle about that tricky question, "Is Pokemon battling wrong?" It's a hard answer to make in the game, because Pokemon battles is a lifestyle, it's an entire world's culture.

Also, some fun facts. If you also read my other NTouya fic, "Holidays and Horrors," you might get a kick knowing that male grunt who was making a ruckus in this chapter was also the main villain from that one. Yyyup. Same dude. Aaaand, as usual I edited and altered some in-game dialogue... although with Ghetsis, I omitted a couple of lines because seriously, for such an appalling character they gave him some super-lame lines. Now excuse me, I'm going to eat dinner because I haven't eaten since I started this chapter five hours ago. Oh, and before I forget... no, Touya isn't dead, and yes if you have any questions feel free to ask via PM - not sure how coherent this chapter was.

**Disclaimer:** No I do not own nor am affiliated with Pokemon, and yes I am sorry these notes got crazy long this time. Sorry about that.


	17. Chapter 17

Over the years, Ghetsis had asked a great many things of the Shadow Triad. All three had, without question, obeyed each order. The man had saved their lives, and lives were precious things to be savored. The lifestyle the trio led demanded they each show honor and respect, both they consistently offered to the sage. And so when Team Plasma began working towards the motions of their goals, naturally the Shadow Triad worked in the dark recesses, ensuring all plans went without failure. If they were involved in directing the success, the plan moved flawlessly. But where the trainer Touya had been concerned, Ghetsis only asked they kept an eye on the boy and escorted him to where he needed to be. To keep an eye on N, because the king was acting more and more peculiar. All three members recognized and observed the change, but neither said nor did nothing about it. Their king was not necessarily their lord, and unless Ghetsis made the order none made the move.

But each Shadow Triad member knew what was happening.

Until the final battle, they simply watched and escorted. That was all. That was all, until that moment, they had been asked of.  
For the cruelty he sometimes possessed, the Shadow Tried did not view Ghetsis as an evil man. Ambitious, yes, but not evil. The world was complex, and it was much like Ghetsis in their minds. Not evil – no, never evil. But at times, cruel out of necessity. While death brought misery, that misery was never eternal. For all to live, and continue living, there would be unending misery. Life was beautiful because it ended eventually for all, not just some. To continue living was beautiful, and that was why all three were grateful. Knowing this, Ghetsis had not asked them to murder the child. No – he merely asked his most loyal men to **injure** him, to terrify and break the boy. If he let himself die, that was his and the world's decision – not the action of the Shadow Triad.  
And so the leader of the Shadow Tried, bloodied knife still in hand, slunk back into the nothingness he always hid in – escaping before Zekrom's roar could shake his bones out of his skin. On the other side of the room, the item was discarded. There were no prints, the only DNA that remained on the blade with Touya's blood.

"Touya!" N gasped, racing over to the brunet with his ears pounding and horror rising. Had his father really just sent his Shadow Triad on a person? On a living creature…? Grabbing the other teen's shoulder, the hero of ideals' was already pressing one his hands into the injury while slowly slinking down, his mind on pause and unable to register the fact he had just been stabbed, and there was pain, and there was blood.

Disregarding the distraction, Ghetsis threw his Pokeball and sent out his Cofagrigus. Black wings spread, and Zekrom rushed forward, his turbine spinning and his mouth open in a roar that deafened human ears into ringing. Smirking, Ghetsis motioned at the dragon's trainer. "Strike me down, creature, and I guarantee you'll have no hero afterwards." He threatened. Snarling, Zekrom stopped in the middle of his flight, taking to landing over the two heroes instead protectively. Lowering its large body, arms wrapping around as a black wall of scales, the dragon growled and hissed at Ghetsis but dared not attack lest the man made on his threat. Inside, the dragon of ideals loathed itself – how had it not noticed the man creeping up on its hero? How had it missed something so obvious…?

"Touya! T-Touya, are you all right?" N asked, his voice panicked, trying to pull the brunet's hand away from his side. "Please, let me see!"

"I-I'm fine…?" Touya finally managed to murmur, his eyes flicking up and widening when seeing the Cogagrigus firing off a Shadow Ball directly for them. Letting go of his wound, biting back the bile rising feeling the warm blood fall from the stab, he threw the first Pokeball he could find. Racing right out of his confines, Samurott skidded to his side to take the entire attack. Clenching teeth down, the water-type refused to make a sound. The commotion mixed N's attention, half of him _needing_ to attend to the other hero's injury, but another part knowing he had to take responsibility for his father's…

_I can handle this – take care of Touya!_ Samurott ordered, facing the ghost-type and lowering his head to point the sharpened end of his helm at his opponent. Cogagrigus tilted his head at the other, his trainer smirking.

"…y-yes." Nodding, N forced Touya to sit down. "Take care of Ghetsis – I'll take care of you. All right?" He forced a smile at the other, and though confused and slightly dizzy the brunet nodded.

"Samurott! Swords dance – and try to ensure Cofagrigus doesn't hurt you!" Touya yelled, muscles tensing when feeling N lift up his shirt to see how deep the stab wound went. Grunting, Samurott began twisting and moving, attempting to keep the ghost-type's attention on _him_, and not the two humans cowering in Zekrom's arms. In the half-meditative state, the large water-type could feel his strength gaining. Sneering, Ghetsis disregarded the rules for battling entirely – he wasn't here for some petty title of 'hero' or 'champion' – he wanted that idealistic child gone, and permanently out of his way.

Rising from his cloak came his hand, and he threw out his Eelektross. Sizzling and crackling, the creature wriggled from his Pokeball, barely jagged fangs at his opponent. "Cofagrigus, Shadow Ball – Eelektross, take care of that pathetic excuse with a wild charge." He ordered. Samurott dashed to where the shadow ball was aimed, forcing his legs to keep moving even though his knees wanted to buckle from the electricity that surged through his body painfully as Eelektross rammed into his side.

"SAMUROTT!" Touya screamed, N having to grab him around the waist to keep him from leaving the safety of Zekrom.

"Touya! Just send someone else out!" N hissed, trying to ignore the small whimper Samurott made having taken the second hit from Cofagrigus for them. Trying to tell himself to trust in the Pokemon's wishes, not his own. Feeling the brunet shiver in his arms, he took a deep breath and made a selection for the other. "N, what are you-"

"He's not playing fair – you don't have to." N explained flatly, knowing in order for them _all_ to be safe he had to do what he had always been trying to – pursue the truth, and be honest… not idealistic. There would be no winning by playing by just any rules, they would have to play by Ghetsis'. Coming out of her ball was Lampent, startled and confused by her surroundings but immediately recognizing the threat. Lowering herself, there was a wail of a cry – and though she received no orders, she knew enough that her fellow teammate was injured and she wasn't going to wait for an order to protect.

Releasing her own shadow ball at Cofagrigus, she deflected his from striking the fallen Samurott. Flying forward, though it was not really much of an attack, she used one of her metal arms to slap Eelektross before he so much as touched the water-type. Snapping back together, Touya began directing the two. "Lampent, fire blast Eelektross and Samurott use aqua tail!" He yelled, the two Pokemon immediately hurrying in.

"Crunch that Lampent before it hits you and you… destroy the last of hope in that Samurott with toxic!" Ghetsis ordered. The four Pokemon collided, water, fire, and poison disbursing on all participants. Trying to direct his team of two into the path of least injury, Touya was barely conscious of the cold fingers that were tracing the line of the wound, of rough fabric being pressed against it to stop the blood flow.

Screaming, Samurott collapsed entirely. Legs shaking, he tried to make himself stand. He could smell blood, and it was a human's. It was his human's. If Zebstrika were here, Samurott knew the other would not let something so small as injuries and pain stop him. He knew the other would trample all opposition – trample everything in sight until it was safe again. Until the storm was gone, and there was no stench of blood or pain or betrayal. Letting out a furious cry, he stood once more and charged wildly at the Cofagrigus. Smirking, the ghost-type abided by his trainer's orders and used psychic – lifting the angry water-type into the air.

Not caring he could feel pressure on his throat, trying to constrict his breathing… trying to kill him. Deep inside his body, where his insides naturally produced the water for his attacks, Samurott summoned the willpower, the desire… the strength. Forcing his throat to open up, forcing air and water out, a jet of water came exploding out in a hydro pump Samurott hadn't even known he was capable of. Cofagrigus' eyes bulged, as did Eelektross's when the stream pounded into them more like a tsunami than a river. Both were washed backwards into their trainer, while Lampent cowered beneath the water that flew harmlessly over her. Realizing she wasn't hit, the ghost-type peered up curiously and glanced back at Samurott.

Freefalling, no longer suspended by Cofagrigus' powers, Lampent rushed forward in a feeble attempt to cushion his landing. His heavier body almost crushing her more frail one, she squeaked at the impact. Samurott made no movement to get up, his strength spent – body too tired and weak to care about how much or little willpower he had. Forcing herself out from beneath, Lampent wheeled on her two opponents, yellow eyes turning red and the little flame inside her burning hotter. The Eelektross was the one getting one, though shakily, while Cofagrigus was left on the ground, unconscious and forgotten.

Calling back Samurott, not wanting his Pokemon to suffer any further injury, Touya then sent out Reuniclus who had evolved back when the brunet fought against Marshal. The psychic-type saw the wreckage around him, tilted his head, and then faced Ghetsis with a smirk on his face. Snarling, Ghetsis threw out two more of his team – Bouffalant and Seismitoad. The water-ground's croak was more akin to a roar, and Bouffalant was stamping his hooves impatiently. Cringing, not liking the odds, the brunet threw out Touko's Braviary. The flying-type screeched, flying upwards to scan the area and try to make sense of what happened between the dragons' battle and this man they were now challenging.

"Seismitoad, earthquake! Bring this castle down on these… these freaks who threaten Team Plasma!" Ghetsis snarled.

"B-Braviary! Get it off the floor!" Touya yelled. Swooping down as if aiming for prey, Braviary clutched Seismitoad so tightly in his claws, the ground-water's skin broke slightly from the punctures with little trickles of blood. Snarling, Seismitoad began squirming, desperately trying to break free.

"Bouffalant, mow them down with head charge!" Ghetsis hissed. "And Eelektross, make yourself useful already! Flamethrower those cowards!"

"Lampent, use your will-o-wisp on them and then use hex! Braviary, sky drop that Seismitoad – try to knock him out! Reuniclus, psychic don't let the Bouffalant hurt anyone!" Touya cringed, desperately wanting to get out of the hiding place and be there, be _with_ his team. But N was holding him back, muttering something about, "Why won't it stop…?"

Braviary threw Seismitoad into the wall, only the creature caught into it and hopped right to the floor. Alarmed, the flying-type attempted to swipe the water-ground type back up, but was dodged. Crying out in frustration, Braviary and Seismitoad quickly became engaged in a game of dodge and catch. Reuniclus' eyes glowed, and he raised the charging Bouffalant in the air. Noticing Braviary's trouble with Seismitoad, the psychic-type used his prisoner to smash into Seismitoad. The two went crashing, Braviary flapping backwards to avoid the kick up of dust and rubble from the collision. Taking his chance, the flying-type nabbed Seismitoad and flew him back into the air.  
Eelektross' flamethrower never actually hit anyone, Lampent dashing in to take most of the hit. She smirked at her opponent, letting her flash fire ability nullify the flames. Shuddering, she released a tiny replicated version of her own inner flame towards Eelektross. The electric-type tried to wriggle away from the haunting flare, but Lampent danced and led the flame towards her mark. Phasing through her opponent's flash, Eelektross cried out feeling the burns form across his body.

Frowning when he realized his team was being overwhelmed again, Ghetsis tossed out another of his team – perhaps he had been underestimating the child after all. But ultimately, if he could overwhelm the brunet in numbers the difference in skill was irrelevant. He knew the boy wouldn't release his dragon on anyone, the child was too naïve to understand the concept of taking an advantage anywhere he saw it, regardless of the consequences. That merely worked in the sage's favor. Bisharp was released, readying his blades for battle. Abiding by orders already given, Lampent swirled around and released another will-o-wisp at the new battler. Raising his metal arms, Bisharp cringed at being attacked so soon from his Pokeball.

There was so much going on. How could Ghetsis just keep sending out his team like this, one after another? The number of Pokemon Touya had to watch and keep track of was overwhelming, and cringing he released the last of his team. Scolipede essentially lunged from her Pokeball, prepared and eager for battle the moment she could _feel_ it. "Steamroller on…" Her trainer suddenly tried to remember which Pokemon was fighting who, his mind fuzzy and dizzy. Simply nodding, Scolipede curled into a ball and began rushing at her nearest opponent – things seemed to be getting rapidly out of hand, and though she would never admit it she didn't want this to carry on any longer for Touya's sake. Shaking off from the crash, Bouffalant looked up in time for Scolipede to roll into him, knocking the two back into the wall while the normal-type bellowed furiously at being smashing into something _again_. No longer feeling it was necessarily to deal with Bouffalant, Reuniclus used psychic on his next target – Eelektross who was writhing as the burns ached.

"Flamethrower!" Ghetsis spat out, and the words brought motion back into the electric-type who spat out flames towards Reuniclus. With a yelp, the psychic-type stumbled backwards but didn't let go of his prisoner over something so small as fire. Doing a quick count, Ghetsis smirked realizing that this was all that was left of the brunet's team: Scolipede, Lampent, Reuniclus, and Braviary. And not a single one could stand against his last team member. Fingering the ball, he threw it forwards. Emerging, finally at length, foreboding and violent, Hydreigon's three heads hissed in unison – all tongues flicking forward to taste his surroundings, his prey. The battle paused, all eyes momentarily gazing at the second dragon to join the fray. While Hydreigon was, by no means, a legendary… that didn't make his appearance any less intimidating.

Staring up at the creature that was ordered to use dragon pulse, N realized there was a cold sweat on his back and face. He remembered that Hydreigon from the days it was just a Deino. Neglected was an understatement for the poor creature and with him the dragon-type carried anger and a hunger that could never be quenched. When had his father decided to _use_ the poor creature for battles…? No, he shouldn't have. Never should have. Not let it evolve, not let it be here, let it fight. Last he saw, it was a Zweilous. From his numerous encounters with the dragon, he had a scar from each meeting. Some Pokemon desperately needed to be free in order to escape misery… others needed to be free so they could be far enough away from everything else they didn't create a path of destruction and death.  
For how long would Hydreigon listen?

…_why_ was Hydreigon listening?

Unconsciously, N clutched onto Touya more tightly. He wasn't sure if the impulse was born of a need to protect, or be protected.

"Sc-scatter!" The brunet yelled desperately, hoping his team even had a semblance of a chance to avoid the blast being released from Hydreigon's mouths. A dragon pulse went in three directions, hitting Seismitoad and Braviary on one side, grazing Scolipede and Bouffalant, and sending Lampent and Bisharp spiraling away from one another. Hydreigon growled, the sound emitting from all heads making an echo effect as it flapped its wings to help its massive body move forward. The left head swiveled to stare down at Reuniclus, who decided dropping Eelektross in favoring of trying to move out of the way was a smarter tactic. Releasing a snarl, the head snapped forward – engulfing the creature in his mouth. "NO! Reuniclus!" Touya gasped, the shock of watching that lowering N's hold just long enough for the brunet to stumble out of his grasp. Running into Zekrom's arms, Touya tried to scramble over but the dragon pulled the human back to it. _You mustn't -  
_

"It… that… _it ate Reuniclus_!"Touya sobbed, weakly trying to get around his dragon. Glancing up, red eyes stared at the Hydreigon head that was trying to keep his mouth shut, feeble glows of the psychic-type's attempt at escape visible. _No, not yet_, Zekrom's words flittered through the brunet's mind. Cautiously nudging its hero into Reshiram's, the electric dragon opened its mouth – and fired off a dragon breath towards the Hydreigon. Crying out in pain from the strike, reeling backwards the third head opened for Reuniclus to make a desperate escape out of his jaws. Covered in saliva and sniffling from his close encounter, the psychic-type tried to crawl directly for his trainer.

Though he stumbled back a few steps, Hydreigon recovered himself and roared. "Dragon pulse again! Strike all of them – every last one!" Ghetsis screamed. Giving a snarl in acknowledgment, Hydreigon immediately fired out another round of dragon pulse. Walls crumbled, and still down from the last blast Braviary and Seismitoad screamed together when they took another strike head-on. Scolipede just barely dashed behind a mortified Bouffalant, the strike knocking the normal-type unconscious and the bug merely felt the force of the attack indirectly. This time the third blast was not shot in a random direction – it was aimed precisely at Zekrom, who wrapped its arms more tightly around the humans. The dragon pulse didn't have the strength behind it like the legendary's had, but both humans could hear Zekrom grinding its teeth from the hit.

This was going nowhere good. Touya tried to stop himself from crying – tears would do nothing for anyone in this situation. But it was so hard. If Zekrom hadn't stepped in, if it hadn't disobeyed… what would have happened to Reuniclus? Would he have…? _Let me fight him, Hero. He is slowly losing interest in obeying – let me step in before he harms all._ There was no tone, but Touya could feel this was a request. Shivering, he shakily nodded his head. "J-just don't…" _I shall not._ With that promise, Zekrom stood up and gently maneuvered the humans to be behind it while the dragon stood at its full height, staring on eye-level with Hydreigon as he flapped his wings to gaze into the calm eyes of a legendary.

"Hah! So much for your ideals!" Ghetsis laughed, eyes crinkling in pleasure. "Are those tears because you know you're losing, or are they because you realized winning is worth more than your beliefs?" He snickered. "Hydreigon! Don't bother with the legendary – just get rid of its trainer!" He no longer cared how or why, so long as Touya was out of the picture. So long as there was no one else who knew the secret of Team Plasma, of the first sage. The man wasn't concerned with his son – N had always been an obedient son, and there was no reason that had changed in the slightest.

Ignoring Ghetsis' taunts, the brunet returned all of his team except for one. No longer receiving orders, the safe's team gathered themselves to huddle in a corner – away from the two dragons facing off. "Please don't…" _I won't._ The last piece said, Zekrom charged forward, arms raised to slash downwards on the faces of two heads. Hydreigon's middle head, the one that wasn't hit, jaws clenching down in a ferocious crunch aimed for the legendary's throat. Leaning back, Zekrom's shoulder caught the snap of fangs instead. Hissing in pain but not wavering, the black dragon fired off another dragon breath onto the back of its opponent. Claws clenching tightly onto the side heads' necks, Zekrom flapped its wings attempting to get both dragons airborne and away from the castle. Their continued fight put the humans and other Pokemon lives at danger, and the legendary had received its orders to protect all those lives.

Even that of the more despicable ones.

Guided by the temptation of blood and violence, Hydreigon allowed himself to be dragged into the air and out of the castle, growling and snapping in a vain attempt to rip out Zekrom's throat or face… utterly disregarding Ghetsis' screams for him to come back and deal with the _real_ threat. The two dragons no longer in the room, the sage whirled on his son. Much of his team had been badly injured by the dragon – but on the upside, so had Touya's. But, there was one last person in the room with a full team of Pokemon, ready to finish the job…

"N. What are you doing?" Ghetsis snapped, glaring down at his son. Snapping to attention, N's eyes wavered briefly, trying to remember how to listen instead of watch again. "You are the Hero of Truths, are you not? Why are you sitting there, babying your enemy? I've weakened him enough for you, boy, so finish your job as king! As hero!" He demanded, eyes blazing with impatience and agitation. His plan was both working and not working – but Ghetsis had put far too much time calculating and planning to just let everything fall apart.

"But… I have no right to be the hero!" N hollered back, staring at his father, his expression becoming pained as the reality of what was happening and had been happening returned full force – demanded to be accounted for.

"You were **made** to be the hero! Since I couldn't become the hero and obtain the legendary Pokemon myself… I prepared you for that purpose! Don't give me your excuses – give me results! Repent for your failures." Ghetsis bellowed, eyes narrowing into slits while he clenched his fists. "Or so help me, I'll do it for you!" Torn between doing what he had been doing his entire life – believing in, following, and above all else **trusting** in his father… and then between everything he had been learning, sharing, and experiencing with Touya… N tried to force his brain into making a decision right then, right there. He couldn't afford to hesitate. The king – could he even still call himself a king? – desperately raced to make formulas instantly, to calculate and determine the best scenario, the most honest scenario…

…but for once numbers and proofs were failing him. They offered no answer, only jumbled mixtures of variables that had no answer in mathematical equations designed to be unsolvable.

"Fine." Ghetsis sneered, and began long-legged strides towards the two humans.

"…no!" N declared abruptly, and scooped up a startled Touya. Taking several hurried, and somewhat panicked steps back the green-haired teen tried his hardest to glare down his father. "**No.** It's not… it's not right. The heroes… the original two heroes did not fight each other to the death! They… they ended up seeing eye to eye at the end, right?" As if unsure, he looked down at Touya. Brown eyes stared back into green ones, and N paused in his movements caught up in the gaze. "Right…?"

When it registered in Touya's mind that he was being requested to offer an answer, he forced himself to remember the story. The legend.

"Y-yes… they did. And then their sons started the fighting up again…"

"But they never killed each other either, did they?" N whispered.

"No…"

"And because they did not, here you both are! End the cycle N! End it with his life! Team Plasma can start **all** over again – just get rid of him!" Ghetsis ordered. Clutching the ideals hero in his arms, N flinched slightly when he felt all of the movement finally caused the makeshift bandage he had created for Touya to come undone, made noticeable by the warm, wet sensation.

"No one is dying." N stated flatly, using the same tone on his father he had used on his grunts in the past when he wanted to leave no room for questions or debate. When he wanted them to know his word was final, and there was no changing it.

"Are you defying me, your father? Are you going back on your right as a hero?" Ghetsis snarled, glowering at his son… if he could even call the little treacherous monster that anymore. "Is that all it takes to make you soft and weak? Someone telling you that there's something worthwhile in that body of yours, without the heart of a human? Only that of a freak."

"C-call it what you want… Reshiram came to me because I seek out the truth – and all you've been doing is lying to everyone… the other sages… the grunts… me… listening to you won't bring me closer to the truth – only farther. Even if Touya and I don't agree everything, he's been the only one telling me the truth so far. Listening to you and killing him… that won't make me worthy of the title, 'Hero of Truths.'" N could feel it – the adrenaline pulsing through his system all over again, making his body shake and tremble. He didn't want to argue or defy his father – but he knew if he didn't, if he just ran… the shadow of Ghetsis would always follow him.

"You know, son… the one thing I always did enjoy about you, is that **you** to talk… you never, ever seem to shut up unless someone makes you." Ghetsis remarked casually, suddenly his anger melting away. Staring at him confusion, N tried to make out the abrupt change in stance, in attitude. What was his father playing at…? "Because you know, standing here listening to me, talking to me… you're already doing what I want you to."

And then it hit N, suddenly, that throughout all of this Touya had been remarkably quiet. Earlier, the brunet hadn't hesitated to step in and defend N against his father's words. But now… glancing down, the king wondered if Touya had always been that pale. "T-Touya?" N stammered, gently shaking the teen in his arms. "Touya, wake up!" He gasped, the hand beneath the other hero's back trying to not move the other too much in his attempts to irritate the injury further. Brown eyes fluttered open at the sudden movement, glazed over and confused as Touya tried to recall how much time passed between when he passed out and was suddenly awoken. "Oh thank Arceus…" N breathed, "I thought you were…"

"Will be soon enough." Ghetsis sneered.

"Touya!" Cheren's voice yelled from behind the great doors into the throne room. This time, N could definitely tell his father paled. "TOUYA! ARE YOU ALL RIGHT?" Cheren screamed.

"Touya! Are you in there?" Alder's booming voice echoed. Snarling, Ghetsis turned on the two teens.

"It doesn't matter – I don't need either of you. I'll just take the dragons for myself, they're already been caught." Ghetsis said, and charged forward. His plan, his perfect plan… pieces were falling everywhere, utterly destroyed. For a fact he knew there was no way he could beat the ex-Champion himself, or that brat that was accompanying him. Barely three steps in, Zekrom was crashing back into the throne room, roaring at the sage to get _away_ from his and Reshiram's chosen. Stumbling, Ghetsis stared in bright red eyes and a giant mouth more than willing to split him in two.

Wood on the door splintered, Alder and Cheren putting all of their weight and muscle into forcing the door open. Trapped between a legendary dragon and a legendary man, Ghetsis released a furious scream. The door gave way, Alder marching directly for the sage.

"Ghetsis!" The ex-Champion growled.

"Touya! What did you do to him?" Cheren demanded, racing past Ghetsis and Zekrom, more terrified of what happened to his friend than either physical threat.

"He was-" N couldn't finish his sentence, not before the black-haired teen was standing on his toes to glare at the king.

"Put. Him. **Down**." Cheren hissed through clenched teeth. N's mouth worked slowly, wanting to explain but not wanting to cause further trouble.

"Cheren, he didn't-" Touya tried, but Cheren's motioned his hand for his friend to be silent.

"I don't care." Even in responding to his childhood friend, the black-haired trainer didn't remove his glare from N's face. With some trouble and reluctance, the kind tried to, gently as he could, set the brunet down. Immediately moving to his friend's side, Cheren pulled out a first aid kid and began working on the other teen's injury.

"Cheren-"

"It doesn't matter. Hold still."

"What happened here?" Alder bellowed, brows furrowing over his eyes as he tried to assess the damage. It certainly looked as though two legendary dragons duked it out in a throne room.

"What do you think? That broken boy and your pathetic hero tried to kill each other." Ghetsis scoffed, crossing his arms inside his cloak. At this, the redheaded man frowned deeply.

"I don't believe you. In my battle with N, he showed no signs of being a destructive soul. Rather, the fight itself seemed to destroy him, more than anything else. And Touya is not the type to willingly hurt another. What really happened?" Alder demanded, staring down at the sage. "N. Please tell me." He requested, turning to the startled green-haired king.

"You… want me to explain?"

"Yes. I don't exactly trust this one here." Alder added, and then gave an encouraging nod to N.

"I… we… Touya and I fought. He won. When we came back here… my fathe-… Ghetsis, was enraged, he felt that… he…" Struggling to face the truth, N stopped himself and took a deep breath. In the pursuit of truth, one had to be truthful. One had to be willing to face the facts. Opening his eyes, face calmer than it had been in days, he explained everything that happened in a rush, delving into details and forcing himself to not shy away from the facts. There were some portions he omitted, such as some of Touya's more personal words, in respect that the brunet probably did not want N disclosing such information without his permission. And also… N was still unsure how to react to what he heard. Was still unsure if… when Touya said he loved him, he included that Zoroark did as well. Was Touya trying to implicate the affection he felt for N was platonic? Or had he been trying to cover romantic emotions?

At the moment, such details were irrelevant.

"I understand." Alder gave another nod, and then grabbed Ghetsis' arms and forced them behind the sage's back.

"What are you doing?" Ghetsis grunted, glaring over his shoulder, trying to twist his arms and escape the vice-grip the man with wild hair kept on him.

"Arresting you. What else?" Alder snorted. Glancing over at N, "…N. I am sure you have much to think about. I know you were not pursuing the truth because of Ghetsis' manipulation, but because your heart was truly inspired. That is why you were able to meet the legendary Pokemon!"

"But… I…" N faltered.

"What you and your friends are going to do now… That's important, wouldn't you say? Please. Leave Ghetsis to us. Do not worry about him anymore… and as for Team Plasma…"

"I renounce my title as king." N whispered.

"You **WHAT**?" Ghetsis screamed. "You… you filthy, useless…!" No more slander came from his mouth, Alder having clamped one of his hands over it. The ex-champion gave N a lopsided grin.

"I understand. Do what you must – we will handle Team Plasma, as well. Also… N? It may be of future benefit to yourself to keep in mind that having different beliefs does not mean two people must automatically reject one another. Right, Cheren?" Alder gave a pointed look towards the black-haired teen, who jolted slightly while in the middle of forcing Touya to let him fret over the other.

"…yes." Cheren sighed, shoulders sagging. There was no arguing with Alder's logic, he had been finding.

"Good. Then please come over here, and assist me with Ghetsis. Touya will be fine – he has his own hands to care for himself with. He doesn't need you nursing over him constantly." Alder's request had an ordering undertone to it. With a resigned complaint or two, Cheren told the brunet to be careful and that he would be right back, before hurrying over to help Alder remove Ghetsis from the premises. Both of them gone, Touya looked up at N.

"Uhm… N, about earlier…"

"I want to talk to you about something." N started. Part of Touya felt his heart skip, just slightly, at hope… shakily, he started to get up.

"N-no, please don't…" Placing his hands on the brunet's shoulders, the green-haired teen lightly pressed the other back into a sitting position. "It's about when I first met you Accumula Town." At that, Touya felt his hopes plummet. Of course N didn't want to talk about that. Why would he? "I was shocked when I heard what your Pokemon was saying. I was shocked because that Pokemon said he liked you. Oshawott. He said he wanted to be with you. Later… later he even said that he wanted to stay with you to protect you, because he didn't trust you with other humans. That he was more afraid of a world in which humans and Pokemon were separated, because it meant you were left with a bunch of humans he was convinced would hurt you…" N laughed bitterly at that memory, particularly because he had been mentioned as a culprit of causing the brunet harm. "I couldn't understand it. I couldn't believe there were Pokemon that liked people… that felt that way towards humans the way I felt towards Pokemon.

Because, up until that moment, I'd never known a Pokemon like that. You know, I think your team has made more attempts on my life than anyone or thing else ever has. I had a nightmare, once, that your Zebstrika made a full recovery, hunted me down in my castle, and trampled me to death." At this, N chuckled softly. "I'm not making that up… it terrified me. And the longer my journey continued, the more unsure I became. All I kept meeting were Pokemon and people who communicated with one another and helped one another. That was why… I needed to confirm my beliefs by battling with you. I wanted to confront you hero-to-hero. I needed that more than anything.  
Touya… there's no way a person like me, someone who only understands Pokemon – no, actually I didn't understand them either, did I? No way I could measure up to you, when you had met so many Pokemon and were surrounded by friends…" He trailed, looking off to the side.

"N… no, you're wrong! You do understand Pokemon, far better than anyone else, and-"

"No. I am right. Just because I can speak their language, does not mean I understand them. I never understood how some Pokemon could only evolve through friendship with humans… never… not until I met you. Touya, since we first met you have been changing. I have been evolving on an emotional and mental level I had never experienced before. I don't know what it means, I haven't had the time to observe and examine any of it. There are some changes that can only be born of a mutual benefit between humans together, and humans with Pokemon. And of all the people I've met, I'm very happy it was you who taught me it.

The champion has forgiven me, and… what I should do now is something I must decide for myself." Reaching into his pocket, N threw the ball that contained Reshiram. The white dragon, sluggish from his battle with Zekrom, gave a half-hearted snarl at its other half. Zekrom returned the sound. Reaching up, N gave the creature a potion to help soothe its aches and wounds.

"What are you…?" Touya whispered, eyes widening in a sudden fear and dread.

"Touya! Dream your dream!" N exclaimed, turning his back and taking hurried strides that matched his usual speech patterns. Sensing what the human wanted, Reshiram raised its wings and began to fly forwards to meet him outside.

"N! What are you doing?" Touya yelled, scrambling up to pursue. Alarmed, Zekrom reached out and scooped the brunet arm. Releasing a frustrated yell, Touya kicked at his dragon. "Put me down! I'm sick of this! I'm not an invalid, let me go…!" He screamed.

"Then, pursue the ideals to make that dream a reality, and someday you will achieve all that you dreamed of!" As he rushed forwards, trying to ignore Touya's calls for him to stop, _please_ don't go, don't leave please don't do this… as he began running towards the edge, N's voice was rising. He wanted to give the brunet something, anything as an apology. But he doubted anything would do. This was cruel of him, wasn't it? Leaving things like this. Being irresponsible, for once. But part of him didn't want to hear Touya say, "It's okay, I forgive you, you did nothing wrong…"

Because he had. He wanted the other angry at him, to never want to see him… jumping off, Reshiram caught its trainer and began flying away. "Farewell, Touya…!" N yelled it as loud as he could, but he had no idea if the other heard him. Judging by the infuriated scream that echoed out of the ruins of his castle, N was fairly certain he had.

* * *

**A/N:** Words cannot describe how happy I am. I don't have to write anymore Pokemon battles, ohoho... oohhhhh... sweet relief. One more chapter, and then this baby is over. That's right. THE SAPPY CHAPTER. The one that is my way of saying, "You guys are awesome and amazing and thank you so, so much for sticking with me this long." Also, I have never written a fanfic this long before. Never. Again. No mas. I have work tomorrow, but the day off afterwards so we'll see if I can't pop out the last chapter in the next day or so.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own nor have any affiliation with Pokemon, Inc. outside of just being another fan and writing this purely for fun.


	18. Chapter 18

Rolling on her back, tail wagging faster than brown eyes could really see, the Herdier gave a happy growl as Touya scratched the furry belly. About ten feet away, a litter of four Lillipups chased after a red-haired woman who was trying to balance their bowls on two arms while tiny Pokemon bounced and yipped around her ankles. Noticing her distress, the colour-coded plastic bowls ready to topple over, a man yelped and ran over to take the two blue ones from her. "They're so _energetic_!" The woman observed, blue eyes wide as she stared down at the creatures. One of the Lillipups stood on its hind legs, and then did a little spin that consisted of hopping in a circle. The trick completed, it yipped up at her. "Awe…"

"Don't do it." The man warned, and with his elbow nudged the other volunteer towards the designated feeding area that kept the litter separated from each other and their mother while they ate. Chuckling at them, the brunet flopped onto the Herdier who was now trying to get away – her full attention on the bowls of food, ears twitching slightly at the commotion her offspring were making.

"_No_." Touya chided. Ears lowering, the dog Pokemon gave out a huff and just let her whole body deflate with a heavy, exaggerated sigh. About a month ago they had found her, half-starved and pregnant, wandering aimlessly in Nuvema desperately seeking food and shelter. About six months before that, using his reputation as the 'new hero' of Unova and the title of its new Champion, Touya was able to procure an old warehouse and with the assistance of the region's inhabitants and some of the old Plasma Grunts that had been genuinely trying to save Pokemon… they designed and built a shelter, together. It wasn't the perfect answer, but it was the best the brunet could come up with. A sanctuary where the abused, neglected, and abandoned Pokemon could find safety and comfort in. A safe haven for humans that wanted to be shown that even when shown darkness, anyone could find light.

Playing with the excess fur on Herdier's face, Touya mused over the shelter he found himself in charge of. They had volunteers all over the region, always on the look-out for Pokemon that needed rehabilitation and care. Initially Pokemon Centers had been designed for that, in a era long gone with time and development. But with the rise of Pokemon training as a career, the centers rapidly became more of a center to just heal travelers and their teams than anything else. Between the shelter and centers, though, things were changing. At least once a month all volunteers were checked up on to ensure that yes, they really were doing what was asked of them. A couple of times they found a few volunteers, some ex-Grunts, so far gone that they were just taking in any Pokemon they found, murmuring about how the creatures needed a home. They were too far off in their world of delusions to recognize wild Pokemon from abandoned ones.  
Whenever a human was caught in the act of abusing a Pokemon, the shelter also took great care to ensure they could prove it. There was no sense in pointing fingers, and accidentally taking a loved Pokemon from their loving trainer. There was also a fine line between intentionally abusing, and simply not knowing any better. Educating was also part of their goal – there was a lot to be accomplished, actually. Sighing, Touya relaxed with the creature enjoying one of his few moments to himself. Ever since that day, since N left…

…the brunet just couldn't stop himself from working, wearing his mind and body out until when he did finally reach his bed he just fell asleep on it. Passed out, and slept dreamlessly until his alarm awoke him, reminded him there was another day of being busy. Since then, Bianca had decided that she wanted to be Professor Juniper's assistant. The blonde was surprisingly great at it, all smiles and happy greetings to the people and Pokemon that entered the lab. Mind a hungry sponge for knowledge and improvement, she took the books and pamphlets her tutor gave her everywhere. Sometimes when she visited Touya, he saw her walking into the ladies room with the book in hand, unable to stop herself even when he felt she really should have.

His sister, Touko, was still the free spirit she had been – especially because he returned her Braviary to her after his experience in the castle seven months ago. A month later, she presented him with a small egg that hatched into a Rufflet shortly after. That had been a challenge – raising the small creature while balancing a whole new job and life. At least his team was there, Lampent surprisingly excited to assist in raising the small bird. Touya shouldn't have been surprised by Touko's actions, but still… he wondered who the mother of the Rufflet was? Had Bianca owned a Mandibuzz, he would have assumed that was the other parent – particularly because more and more when he saw Bianca visit, so did his sister and it wasn't often they were seen together not holding hands.

Neither girl really said anything to him – but he could guess what happened between them.

As for Cheren… beneath the brunet, the Herdier gave a slight whine. "Okay, okay…" Touya laughed, rolling off of the creature. Pleased at her newfound freedom, she happily licked his face with her tail wagging rapidly all over again. As if there never had been a transgression of him denying her food, or of him laying on her as if she were a mattress rather than an animal. "Good girl." He whispered, scratching the sides of her face. "What a pretty girl, too." He added, chuckling a little when she started flicking her tongue out in distaste when accidentally catching his bangs. Pushing himself up, he ruffled the dog's fur atop her head and began leading the way into one of the feeding areas. With an excited, though dignified, trot Herdier was more than happy to follow after him. Touya was, after all, the one that found her and fed her and helped her with her puppies. Why would she do anything but follow him? She was a good, dedicated girl. She knew this.

Reaching into a bucket filled with some food, Touya took three scoops and put them into her bowl. Immediately Herdier stuffed her fuzzy face into the bowl, making slurping sounds while she inhaled her lunch. Smiling at her enthusiasm, he closed the door behind him and let her have personal space while eating. Though typically very friendly, Herdier had a tendency to show a more threatening, possessive side when it came to food after her trauma of almost starving to death. Trying to condition her out of that behavior was going to take a lot longer than a month, but it wasn't impossible. Just very far down the road.

There was a lull in the moment, and Touya quickly tried to cover up his wandering thoughts to things he needed to do today. He wasn't going to think about that day, or any of the days that followed after. Not going to think about how when he was in the hospital, against his will over a stab wound that looked far worse than it was, really… how Cheren came in there. Or how Cheren had called him a dense idiot, because Touya just couldn't understand why the other had been so upset on that day, so angry.

"I'm jealous, all right? Are you blind in one eye to not see that?" The black-haired teen scowled, his arms crossed and his cheeks a furious red while his brows furrowed. He had been both embarrassed and irritated – a strange combination on Touya's male friend. "I-I care about you Touya. Sometimes I really, really wish I didn't because you seem so _intent_ on always hurting yourself. I hated that when I came in there, you were bleeding and in _his_ arms and – and why were you even there? You could walk! Why would you…" Sucking in a deep breath, Cheren had tried to force himself to calm down while pinching the bridge of his nose. "No. No, I know exactly why don't even answer that. I don't want to hear it. I can't hear it, I should say." Slowly breathing out, he gave Touya an apologetic smile. "Sorry. I hadn't meant to come in here yelling at you… I'm sorry. Just… stop being stupid, all right? For my sake?"

Now, Touya was trying to shove the memory out of his mind. Personally, he didn't like to think that something so small as an unrequited crush between friends couldn't come between them as friends… but sometimes, he had the feeling it did. Rapidly, Cheren was spending more and more time training with Alder to become a Gym Leader. There was going to be an opening soon, and while the brunet did try to find time to hang out with Cheren as always… the other seemed uncomfortable, and never would unless there was a third person.

"Hey, Touya!" A woman's voice called, and he snapped to attention. Realizing where he was, he was bewildered to find he had been walking right out of the shelter – not even thinking about it, just getting lost in memories while his legs carried him wherever they wanted to go. Turning, he spotted Rowan who had been in the middle of giving baths to various Pokemon – all of whom had been enjoying it far more than she was. "Heading out?"

"N-no… I was just… lost in thought. I'll go back-"

"All right then, see you tomorrow." And then Rowan give him a look that he could only describe as her maternal one. The visage was blank of emotion, but somehow beneath it the brunet got the sensation she was trying to both glare and smile at him. For him, the only way to describe her as they worked together over the months, was she took her duties as a knight to Team Plasma literally – and now she was taking her duties as a volunteer the same way. Part of Touya still didn't know what to make of it, or how N had handled this treatment when Rowan worked for him instead. Flinching at the memory of that name, he meekly nodded to her silent orders. _You've been working too much. Get your butt home before I knock you unconscious and make you – again._

Releasing Samurott from his Pokeball, wanting and needing someone to walk with and talk to, Touya began the slow trek to yet another temporary apartment. The shelter was located in Striaton, which was nice since it was so close to home, and Touya could have walked back to his actual house… but after sometimes a ten hour day of running all over Unova on his now-Braviary's back (his Rufflet evolved not too long ago), investigating potential abusive breeders, and just a general caring of the Pokemon at the shelter, the brunet was typically too tired to make the trek or ask it of his team. Noticing it was the middle of the day and they weren't doing anything of real importance, Samurott leaned over and hurriedly took advantage of the free moment by gently nuzzling his trainer's face. With a small laugh, the brunet wrapped his arms best he could around the creature's neck.

"Hey… it's been awhile, right?" Touya muttered, frowning slightly. "You guys haven't been really having fun, have you?" He sighed, reaching up to get that itch around Samurott's helm he knew the Pokemon could never _quite_ reach. Eyes drooping, body sagging the creature gave a content sigh at the scratch. "We should do something about that… take a day off, go play somewhere. Oh! How does a ride in the Battle Subway sound? Get you guys some good exercise." He offered, and Samurott merely nodded his head lazily. "Hunh. Not very exciting, huh? Hmm. Oh! We could go to the musi-"

As if that were a threat, Samurott gently pulled away from his trainer to hurriedly shake his head. _No no – _anything_ but that!_ He seemed to say. Laughing, Touya put his hands on his hips. "Well then, what should we all do together?" The water-type shrugged. Personally, he didn't care what they did – so long as they did it with Touya and no musicals were involved. "Hmm. Then how about we get back to base, and decide there?" He offered, his Pokemon nodding in agreement. "No… let's go home." Staying at the temporary apartment was… lonely. At this, Samurott eagerly bounded around and slid his head between Touya's legs, startling the trainer and forcing the human onto his back. Struggling to sit upright while Samurott immediately began a power walk to Nuvema Town. When Touya was holding on and sitting properly, the power walk escalated into a canter.

All of Touya's team would agree – their trainer's mother was a blessing in human form. While she wasn't quite Touya, she was almost as good.

Slowing to a lazy gait as they strolled into Nuvema, Samurott made a beeline for their home. All of the lights were off, but the drapes were all open trying to let the sun in. Feeling the afternoon chill, Touya tightened his jacket around himself as they approached the house. It really did feel like these days the weather was turning for the chillier. Before Touya had his jacket with him everywhere in case he needed it, at his mother's request. Now he brought it everywhere because he never knew when the temperature would suddenly drop from five to ten degrees. Sliding off of Samurott's back, he let the rest of his team out, minus Zekrom (who seemed to loathe being let out for any reason outside of attacking something – exemptions being belly rubs and back scratches. That was the first time the brunet ever heard a dragon _coo_ or _purr_).

When he turned the doorknob, he was a bit surprised to find it was left unlocked. Shrugging, he figured either his mother or Touko left temporarily and would be returning soon. Hopefully it was his mother – if she knew he was going to be home for the afternoon and night, she was bound to cook something delicious just for him and his team. Squeezing in behind him was Lampent, Reuniclus, and Rufflet. Scolipede and Samurott were too large to fit into the front door, both Pokemon hurrying around back to be let in there. Sliding the back door open, the two wriggled inside to lay claim to one of the many soft beddings left around for any large Pokemon visiting. That was why Touya's mom was held in such reverie – she went the extra mile to make sure it wasn't just her children that were comfortable when they were home.

As his team settled in, Reuniclus turning on the television to channel surf while Braviary would occasionally complain that the other go back, back to that one channel with the stuff… Touya went upstairs, figuring he could just use his computer to see if there were any events or festivities that might be fun for them. Entering his room, he wondered if maybe he should make a sandwich while waiting for his computer to boot up… only to pause and stare, his brain's first thought being: _I don't need to boot it up._ Because jumping like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar, at Touya's desk on that very same computer, was N.

"T-Touya. Hello. I wasn't… informed you would be back home. Now. Today. So soon." N stopped, mouth working for a few seconds, flustered and startled to have been caught. In the act of… whatever it was he was doing on the computer. In Touya's room.  
In Touya's room. On his computer. Saying he wasn't informed Touya would be back. A lot of words sprung to mind, a lot of things the brunet wanted to say – _what are you doing here? Where have you been? Have you always been here? Were you waiting for me? Avoiding me? What are you talking about? Arceus, I'm so glad you're all right… because I think I'm ready to __**kill**__ you for what you did you crazy lunatic I was so worried and scared and…_

Instead of all of that tumbling out of his mouth all Touya could manage was, "What are you doing?" In a rather stupid tone, it sounded like to his own ears.

"What am I…? Oh. Yes. That." Mouth working again, trying to form sentences and remember how to communicate after being scared out his wits at seeing _Touya_ of all people… though he supposed that wasn't entirely unexpected, given this was the brunet's room and all so how rude of him to assume the other would never come in and why would Touya knock on his own door it wasn't like he knew N was in there, of course not because N hadn't told him, no he wanted to surprise him and now all of those plans were…

…down the drain. Destroyed. Leave it to Touya to ruin all of N's careful planning.

"Yes, I was utilizing your computer's Excel program for putting together schedules and time slots I had been experimenting with and felt that a visual representation for your mother would assist her in understanding what I had been attempting to convey to her when I arrived last night-" N paused briefly, noticing Touya's eyes widen when realizing that his mother knew the green-haired man was there, and flushing in slight shame N simply continued knowing there was no going back now, "and had been hoping using some simple formulas and equations as analogies for what I was hoping to accomplish, though with your appearance now I suppose there is no longer a need for that…" And then it occurred to N how that sounded, and he rushed forward talking faster than he ever had before – so fast that, Touya quickly held up his hands.

"Wh-whoa! N! Slow down, I can't… I'm not even sure we're speaking the same language?" Touya squeaked, flailing slightly.

"…was I?" N paused, brows knitting together as he considered. Well, he supposed he was talking a little quickly but he understood himself fine. Trying to calm himself, though his nerves felt frayed and his hands shook slightly at having been caught, he took great care to talk more slowly. "What I am, was, trying to say is that I had been hoping to surprise you. I arrived here last night, once I verified you were not home, and approached your mother about an idea I had. She did not understand me. So I requested if I could borrow a computer to show her, and she said to feel free to use yours. Last I had heard, you wouldn't be home today and that you typically called before returning." He explained, his words spoken almost painfully slowly – but at least the hero of ideals had been able to understand him this time.

"Well… you certainly… surprised me." Touya admitted, though now he was both uncomfortable and unsure. "What… what brought this on? N… where have you been? Have you been…" There were cascades of words he wanted to use to finish that sentence, all of which were fighting for dominance. Ultimately, the brunet tried to make himself be more interested in N's doings, and less of questions that involved both of the teens. "Have you been all right?"

"I have been well, thank you." N gave a half-smile at the other. "While in my journeys, I have been hearing much of you. It has been… relieving to know you have followed your dreams. Or at least, I hope this was your dream?" At that, the green-haired man cocked his head to the side, inquiring if Touya really was doing what he wanted, or if he was just doing what he felt he had to.

"It's… one of many." The brunet answered, smiling a weakly at the other. "Start where you can, and work up from there… right?"

"I see…" Nodding, N took a few seconds to mull over that response before continuing. "As for what brought it on, I heard on a news station while I was in Hoenn that the Hero of Unova's birthday was soon. I wasn't entirely sure how soon they meant, as they specified no days and rather than risk missing it I figured I would come to the source of your birth – ah, your mother I mean," Touya blushed slightly at that sort of description being given to his mom, "before it happened, and surprise you with a visit on your birthday. It seemed like a nice idea, I uhm… even got you a gift. In my travels, I've been trying to understand both humans and Pokemon better, and from what I understand birthdays are celebrated with gifts."

"…you came here for my birthday…? N, that isn't for another month." Touya laughed, feeling a lot of his anger and frustration melting away with a strange sort of relief. In hearing, from N directly, that he hadn't forgotten about Touya at all. That while he may have been avoiding the brunet, the other didn't just forget about him or ignore his existence.

"I would rather arrive in Unova far too early, than to have missed it." N shrugged dismissively. "I've been… wanting to return home, as well. The other regions are fascinating, and the people interesting, but nowhere I've been can be Unova." As the man said this, Touya nodded softly to show he was listening. "…what are you doing home right now, by the way? From how your mother speaks, this doesn't seem to be very typical of you."

"Rowan told me to go home." Touya explained sheepishly. N's lips turned into a thin line, but he closed his eyes and nodded.

"Good call."

"N…"

"Yes?" At his name, the man peered inquiringly at the other.

"I-I'm sorry about back then. When our friends battled… Reshiram and Zekrom, I mean. About… a lot of things, I'm really sorry."

"What is there to be sorry about?" N asked, confusion etching all over his face. From what he could recall, there was nothing Touya needed to be sorry. "If anyone should be apologizing, it should be I. Had I paid better attention to everyone around me, we could have avoided an almost cataclysmic fight. My father would have never had an opportunity to send his Shadow Triad in to harm you. In fact, sometimes I wonder if I had remained to counter-calculate my father's own ideas and plans, we could have used his formulas for escape against him to prevent him from running off into hiding, and out of the authorities' hands. Or is this the reverse-psychology that one Gym Leader with the peculiar name… hmm. I think it was Green? Yes. Green told me about, in which a person does or says something opposite of what they want in order to get the other to say or do what they what?"

"…what?" Touya stared at N. "Reverse psy…? N-no, nothing like that! No, I was just… uhm, I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable." He attempted to explain, fiddling with the sleeves of his trademark blue jacket.

"How would you have made me uncomfortable? Touya, I don't understand what you're apologizing for." N stood up out of the chair, leaning more heavily on one leg while crossing his arms. For him, it was easier to look down into Touya's eyes rather than up at an awkward angle from sitting in a chair. And he wanted the other to know N's full attention was on him, and only him.

"W-well…" Touya stammered, not really wanting to say it again. His cheeks flushed slightly, because now he was worried the other hadn't really noticed his words at all back then. Which shouldn't have surprised him – of course N would not have really paid that any mind. He had so much more to worry about – such as a father that was basically confessing he had been lying and using his own child all those years.

"Oh." N's brows rose up, his mind realizing what the brunet had been hinting at. He hadn't forgotten… but he also didn't really understand why the other would say sorry for being sincere. At N's face, Touya flushed deeper in a shame. At least he knew the other hadn't forgotten, he supposed. "About that, Touya…"

"Like I said, I'm sorry… it was stupid and selfish of me to say something like that when I did, I just… I couldn't stand the way he was talking to you, treating you. You didn't, you **don't** deserve to be treated that way… I just wanted you to know that you are worth so much more than he was making you out to be…" The more he tried to explain himself, the more ashamed Touya felt. It was as if he was trying to excuse his actions, and there was no excusing that, there just wasn't.

"Touya, why are you apologizing for that?" N inquired, his frown deepening the more he listened. "I appreciated you speaking up for me. Why would you be sorry for saying what you felt, what you believed in?"

"That… wasn't the time for…"

"It was the perfect time for it. Touya, please don't apologize for being the one honest person in that castle that day. Don't apologize for something like that. And never apologize for how you feel, though to be honest the only aspect of what you said that caused me some trouble is exactly what you meant by it. There are many types of love, and in all of them I have experienced I found there is no single algorithm that can explain it. In my travels I have seen more kinds, and not having experienced them myself I can't say I would understand it if confronted with it.

The one thing, above all else, that attracted me to math is that numbers can explain everything around us… everything except what we feel. It has been a comfort to me in the past, when I watched Pokemon lose themselves to sadness, giving up on life and I could do nothing to encourage them back into living. Into wanting to live. So please, don't apologize to me for what you did. If you want to talk about it, I am more than happy to – rather, I would appreciate doing so simply so I can understand better. I want to understand you, Touya. You've always tried so hard to understand me and others… please, give me the opportunity to try and understand you, now." Finished with one of his shorter speeches, N went quiet to wait and see what the brown-haired teen would decide.

Of all the answers Touya expected to receive, that was the single one that caught him off-guard. It had taken so much willpower, scared him so much to confess finally… and N had no idea in what way Touya meant the word "love" when talking to him, directly to him and no one else. Suddenly, he understood why Cheren had been so frustrated with him. But rather than let that cause him to react the way Cheren had, instead he nodded in understanding. If he was direct enough, there was no room for question. "How are you not sure?" He asked, deciding to pinpoint where the confusion was and go from there.

"Initially, I assumed you meant your feelings towards me were romantic, it came off that way with how you said it and was congruent with your actions and attitudes around me prior. But, then you added that you loved me as Zoroark had, and she has maternal love for me not romantic. Admittedly, while I was away I did ponder how either way you perceived me affected me, but ultimately I wasn't clear. I apologize if you felt that you explained yourself properly the first time, and I am here claiming you had not." N gave an awkward, uncertain bow in apology. He had never tried that action before, but he had seen enough people do it to him, it seemed only right to do so himself when the situation called for it.

"That's why." Touya murmured, and suddenly started laughing. "Haha… I mentioned her because I wanted to remind you it was more than just me that cared about you. I hadn't intended to make it sound as if she and I felt the same about you. I'm sorry for the confusion…" Letting out a relived breath, the trainer offered a warm smile towards the other. "But I **do** still love you N… romantically, I mean. Not platonically, or maternally… though since I'm male, paternally would make more sense than maternally. I don't expect you to say you love me back like that, but I do hope even if you don't you'll still stay? I've missed you…"

"I have missed you, and your friends, as well." N returned the smile with an equally warm one. "Thank you for clarifying." And they both went silent, Touya resuming fiddling with his jacket sleeves as he tried to make himself patiently wait for N to tell him if they were still okay; if they were still friends. Next to the computer, the green-haired teen mulled over the proper course of action now that there were no longer any discrepancies between what Touya meant and what N thought. Over the course of his journeys, his explorations, there he had learned any number of ways to respond. But which one was the best?

Cautiously he nodded once, and then with more conviction gave a more determined nod. "Yes. That's exactly right." Settled, he strode over to Touya who stopped playing with his clothes to stare up at the other. Without even offering a warning, N took the startled brunet's hands into his own. "I'm not very good at this. It's my first time, so I apologize. Ah…" N swallowed hard, because he was trying to convince himself in the middle of doing this that yes, he could do it. Unable to hold it back, Touya felt himself blush because N was awfully close and was talking about first times, was the other going to… was he… were they about to kiss?

"W-well… Touya. I-I know more about how to solve equations than people but… I think the only formula that will work for us, is that… you see… when we're together…" N could feel his heart pounding, and he was trying to stop his hands from shaking, and he was desperately hoping Touya didn't notice how sweaty the green-haired trainer's palms were becoming. When he had wondered if the other meant the affection was romantic, N studied how it affected him – how the thought made him feel and came to the conclusion that if what he felt for Touya wasn't love, then the real emotion when felt would surely consume him. But in all his past ponderings, not once had he felt this shaken. What was there to be afraid of? "I-in the sum of our parts… that is, I mean…" He had never been so flustered in his life. "I-it's far greater than what we added up at the start. I-it's kind of like addition, I suppose… th-the typical, one plus one… e-equals two… "

"N-N… are you-"

And the words came spilling out at a lightning speed, "Touya I'm _not_ familiar with how relationships work but I've been informed multiple times that dating happens when two human individuals express a romantic interest in one another and I should like to ask you on a date even though I'm still _very_ unclear what it exactly consists of and what different things mean on a date so if you would please go on a date with me and perhaps continue going on more dates with me until whatever our relationship progresses into it becomes." Flurry of words out, N was trying to keep his breathing steady but it was a complicated process for some reason. Blaming Touya would have been easy enough, but it wasn't really the other's fault that the green-haired trainer couldn't control his own body's responses to embarrassment.  
The worst part was, he knew there was nothing to be embarrassed of yet still was.

"You are." Touya murmured in wide-eyed wonder. Lips turning into an amused grin, he gave a light-hearted laugh while reaching his arms up and around N's neck. "You _just_ used song lyrics to tell me how you feel…" Unable to stop himself, Touya kept chuckling while his heart slowed from a hammering to just a regular beat.

"Wh… how did you know?" N wondered, trying to look down at the other through tousled brown hair. He wobbled some, the taller male attempting to reposition his center of body to keep them both from toppling over. Now that Touya's hands were no longer in his, N's own hovered in the air, unsure of where to go now. From what he had seen in movies… stiffly, he slowly placed his hands on Touya's upper back, left hand lightly patting the other in what he hoped was being perceived as affectionate.

"You were carrying a tune while you said it." Touya laughed, pulling back just enough so he could look up at the other.

"…oh. So I was." N blinked. Touya's smile was contagious, N feeling his bewilderment melting away into his own grin. "Was that wrong of me?"

"I don't think so?" It certainly contrasted starkly with how Cheren confessed to the brunet – that had involved a great deal more yelling. Much nicer, the shorter teen decided. "W-well… now what? Now that I ruined your surprise plans…"

"We find a place to date?" N suggested. Still more blushes and awkward grins, the two stared at one another just long enough to start laughing at how ridiculous they were both being. "I got it. We go to Castelia City, and we eat ice cream on the docks while watching the sunset. Actually, no… we find a Rapidash that is willing to join us-"

"No N, we do not need a _literal_ fiery and white steed!" Touya laughed.

"But according to the movies, it's the most _perfect_ and _romantic_ of settings. Really, I think if I haven't already wooed you, afterwards you'll be properly wooed."

"Are you hearing yourself?"

"I prefer hearing you, really. I find I do most of the talking in our conversations, and I should like to hear _your_ opinion a bit more often." N chided, pressing his cheek against the brunet's and earning another laugh.

"You have enough opinions for both of us." Came the retort. Wanting to be closer, N moved his arms lower to wrap around the brunet's waist. "Hey! Not too tight! I need to breathe!"

"You should be breathing with your thoracic diaphragm, not your belly." N responded casually, pressing his nose into brown hair and taking a deep breath.

"And stop smelling me!"

"Simply illustrating to you that you can take deeper, better breaths utilizing your thoracic diaphragm in comparison to your belly, it provides your body with a great deal more oxygen to utilize for-"

"Talking in almost constant run-on sentences?"

"I take great delight in math, not grammar."

"N…" Touya sighed, slumping against the other's chest and simply accepting that there was no verbally persuading the taller male to stop sniffing his head. "Why are you doing that, anyway?"

"Trying to imprint the scent of your pheromones in my mind. Everyone has a unique smell, though the scent is typically stronger in other regions I would rather not stick my nose in – such as your arm pits, and your more… ah, _personal_ regions."

"Wh-what?" Touya squeaked.

"I-I'm not going to! Or are you upset because… uhm…" N couldn't finish even attempting to explain himself, as Touya quickly covered N's mouth with his hands. Trying to ignore the fact his face was red as a Darmanitan's rear, he took a deep breath.

"N."

"Mmrf?"

"Let's not talk about pheromones. Deal?"

"Mm." With a sigh, Touya pulled his hands away while N simply frowned down at him. "I don't understand why-"

"B-because it's an awkward subject!"

"Yes, but it's also a very natural one and-"

"N. Please. You agreed to the deal."

"I didn't have much of a choice." N pointed out. Receiving a frown in disapproval, the green-haired man sighed with his shoulders slumping. "All right." And then the almost-discussion about pheromones and their locations left Touya feeling decisively embarrassed and N just a smidge sulky because really, he didn't see what the problem was unless Touya was offended that N didn't want to – "Touya. Do you have a scar?" He asked abruptly, a memory playing through his mind.

"A scar from…? Oh. Yes, I think so." Touya murmured, the recollection just the distraction he needed. Quietly, he wondered if the other did that on purpose.

"May I see?"

"Sure." With a careless shrug, and realizing the hug was one-sided once more, Touya took to wrapping his arms lazily around N's waist this time that way he didn't inhibit blood flow from reaching his fingertips due to an upwards incline. N's arms maneuvered to let one still hold onto Touya's waist, fingers grabbing the bottom fabric of the other's jacket and shirt to lift it up. The cold air hitting his bare skin, the brunet shivered and pressed against N more for warmth. The taller male's other hand used his fingers to try and pinpoint the scar. It was so faint that N had to squint his eyes to really notice the splash of white on pale peach. His index finger traced it briefly, surprised the skin there was still smooth. Perhaps because unlike so many of N's own scars, the injury hadn't happened often enough in the same area to harden the skin the way his were.

"Th-that feels weird…" Touya mumbled.

"Sorry…" N whispered back, momentarily curious and entranced. Had it felt strange because N's fingers were about as soft as a Purrloin's tongue? Or strange because it was intimate?

_What are you doing?_ A deep, and rather disapproving voice growled. N paused in his movements, and slowly looked up to see Samurott glaring at him, with Scolipede peering curious behind him. Rolling into the room, beneath the legs and feet of the larger Pokemon, arrived Reuniclus who wanted to see what all the commotion was about. Much of N suddenly felt very childish, mostly because he was briefly under some kind of deluded belief that when he saw Touya's team, it wouldn't be while he was inspecting their trainer's scar.  
And probably looking like he was doing something else entirely, having Touya's shirt half-lifted up the way it was.

"Please… tell me Zebstrika isn't in your party right now." N whispered in a shaky breath.

"He's not." Touya answered me softly.

"Okay." Though N was already figuring that Zebstrika wasn't – if the creature was, N would have already been dead. Noticing the glare from Samurott and the inquiring looks from Reuniclus and Scolipede, Touya laughed nervously and turned around in an attempt to defend the other male's honor from half his team.

"It's, uhm… not what it looks like?" Touya ventured weakly, and offered them a smile. "…what do they think it looks like?"

_I think it looks like we need to be informed what _he's_ doing back here_, Samurott sniffed indignantly.

_It's about time he came back_, Scolipede sighed while rolling his eyes.

_Why did you two interrupt them? It was about to get good, too…_ Reuniclus whined, flopping onto his back to stare up at the larger Pokemon with a pout.

"They want to know, mostly, what I'm doing here." N informed Touya. At this, the brunet nodded and began to explain, best he could, to his team while also politely requesting they inform the other two – Braviary and Lampent. When neither Samurott nor Scolipede moved, Reuniclus gave an exasperated sigh and squiggled between legs all over again to return downstairs. Lying down, with his head rested on his forelegs, Samurott gazed quietly at the two humans. His expression was the perfect example of an overprotective father watching one of his little ones play with that one kid with all the bad reputation.

There was a strange sensation of rejection and failure when N noticed the look he was getting.

"…he'll warm up to you again." Touya said softly, moving a hand up to offer some comfort and rub the other human's shoulder.

"Eventually."

_I will not._

"Will too." Touya stated absently, and N almost jumped.

"Can you…?"

"No, but I learned to read his expressions and body language fairly well. He tends to add extra exaggeration sometimes, just to be sure I know what he's trying to convey." Touya explained, and gave a warm smile. "See? You taught me a lot of good things…"

_I still say I won't. And he also did lots of bad things._ Samurott huffed, crossed his front legs, and then turned his head away from them to face Scolipede – only he was still watching them out of the corner of his eyes, and made no effort to conceal this.

"…where is Zebstrika?" It was bothering him, now that he knew the electric-type wasn't there.

"With Elesa, in Nimbasa. She actually really took a shine to him…" Touya smiled softly. "And he's become very close friends with her Zebstrika, as well. Petilil actually kind of became the unofficial mascot for the Pokemon Musicals there, too. We like to go there and watch her act, sometimes, to cheer her on." His words faded with his smile. "But… they're happy where they are, and that's what matters, right?"

"I see…" N murmured absently. Though unfortunate, he supposed it wasn't entirely surprising. A large part of N would always feel guilty about the incident; even if he knew there was no changing the past. Zebstrika's accident, and then spurring the brunet onwards to challenge N and all those Gym Leaders… in effect, N had forced Touya to do exactly what he once wanted all trainers to do – be separated from their Pokemon. Now that he understood better, recognized his own errors and their results, he could only feel regret. Had he not been so foolish, Zebstrika and Petilil would have never been forced to stay behind and simply wait. And keep waiting, until the day they were finally reunited with their trainer, only to realize both they and Touya had changed.

They all changed.

"Oh! N." Touya exclaimed. "We should go. Right now."

"We should go… on our date? Now?" N asked, furrowing his brows.

"Yes and no. You have… Zoroark somewhere, right?" Touya asked, brown eyes round and hope-filled.

"Of course. But what do you mean-"

"It's Tuesday!"

"…yes, yes it is Touya." N began slowly, watching the other warily and trying to track down the brunet's trail of thought.

"I was thinking… you were right, about the ice cream in Castelia." Then Touya glanced over, noting that Scolipede and Samurott both subtly perked up at the sound. "We should all go. Together." At this, a wide smile splayed across N's face.

"And play tag while we wait?"

"Or hide-and-seek."

_We're too big to play either game in the city…_ Samurott whined. Not wholly comfortable answering directly to Touya's team at the moment, N translated the complaint.

"Hmmm. He's right. Oh! N and I can get the ice cream together, and you guys can play together outside of the city while you wait!" Touya chirped, still smiling even as his starter pouted at him for even daring to make such a suggestion.

_I don't trust what you two will do while you wait together…_ Samurott wailed, causing Scolipede behind him to begin sniggering. As N once more translated, he noticed the water-type was not voicing any problems with having an interpreter again.

"Wh-what do you mean, you don't trust what we'll do…?" Touya stammered, staring helplessly at his Pokemon.

_Well, that is I trust you but I don't trust him…  
_

"What's there to not trust?" Glancing between the brunet and Pokemon's miniature argument, N calmly observed from the sidelines, wondering if Touya did this sort of thing often – actually have a conversation with one of his teammates, and not even notice that he was. Only to walk away and assume it was just a one-sided discussion, not even realizing that some of the feedback the brunet was receiving could not be conveyed through expression or body language. Even more amusing was that Samurott didn't even notice it, either.  
There was a sort of pride N felt at that moment, watching Touya argue with Samurott (should he have been so happy to see that?).

_I want to go to Castelia…!_ Lampent's voice cried from outside the hallway.

"I think… we should perhaps get some ice cream soon." N laughed nervously. Nodding in tired agreement, Touya began recalling his team (many of whom sulked at being returned – but they all knew not even Zekrom was willing to fly all of them that far outside of a PokeBall). Heading downstairs, Braviary was still eagerly watching a cartoon. Noticing the two humans, the bird cocked his head at the unfamiliar face but still seemed eager to meet N. Introductions were given, and then lastly Braviary was returned – he was too young still to handle the weight of two humans on his back. Once outside, N and Touya held a game of rock-paper-scissors to determine whose dragon would give them a lift. When N had rock, Touya smiled and used his paper to hug the fisted hand.

"And that's why paper wins." The brunet joked. Calling out Zekrom, the dragon stretched its wings before peering around for any opponents – spotting N, its eyes narrowed before trying to feel out for Reshiram. Realizing its other half was still in a Pokeball, the dragon gave a distasteful scowl. "We're not battling. Just getting some ice cream." The black dragon snorted at this. _I'm not a ferry service, Hero._ Zekrom sighed, but reluctantly lifted both humans into its arms. Wings spreading, the dragon tore off into the sky.

"Touya?" N called out over the wind, holding on tightly to Zekrom's arm – admittedly a bit concerned that the ambivalence between the two dragon halves would result in him being dropped suddenly. Responding to his name, brown eyes turned to green ones and waited for him to continue. "While I was traveling… I heard a few interesting theories on Reshiram and Zekrom."

"Like what?"

"Like… hmm. Before we were chosen as heroes, were there ever times you felt like a magnet around me?"

"…what?"

"I SAID…"

"No no, I heard you! I just don't understand what you mean! Your analogy!"

"Oh! Like… depending on what we were doing, sometimes you felt compelled to be near me, and other times repelled away?"

"Y-yes… why?"

"Well, that's the theory. The dragon's can't just choose any person that has heroic qualities – that's why for so many centuries, even though many people have exhibited the typical aspects of a hero, Reshiram and Zekrom were never awoken." N paused, checking to see the brunet was still following. Touya gave a hesitant nod, his interest piqued. "The dragon's have to choose two people like them – kind of like two halves of a whole."

"Th-that's interesting…" Touya stammered. "So basically the idea is… Reshiram and Zekrom…"

"Can only be called together by two people meant to be together, yes. Two opposing beliefs, drawn together by being parts of a single entity."

"Like twins?"

"Hah… Touya, I would prefer to not think of you as a twin… more of, ah… soulmates, I suppose is the term?" N offered, once more taking a note from one of the few movies he had seen in his ventures. Turning scarlet, the brunet wondered if that really was the case, or just another theory. "There isn't any solid proof, of course… but I am curious – I wish to know the technical details.

"It's kind of funny, though…"

"My wanting technical details?"

"N-no… it's just, well… in a way, I kind of named the shelter after that same sort of theory." Touya stammered, looking to the side because if he looked down he would get nauseous and if he looked at N he would be too worried the other would laugh at him. "That in order for everything to work out, everyone needs to work together… even if not all of us carry the same viewpoint. And how even if something's broken, if you try hard enough you can help it come back together or even fix it entirely. So with all that in mind, I just sort of named it… Bits and Pieces."

* * *

**Story Notes:** The song that Touya caught N pseudo quoting was, "Mathematics," by Little Boots. And I don't think indirectly quoting the chorus from a song goes against the TOS. Just wanted to share that because the song always makes me think of NTouya.  
Because it was mentioned way back in the first chapter, this story was actually titled, "Bits and Pieces," because the first chapter was written in segments. Also, because it carried with it implications of a deeper meaning. Just kind of threw that reference to it in the end because I could.  
Many apologies if this wasn't as cute or fluffy as you all had been hoping - and sorry if you guys were disappointed there was no kissing! I'm a weird sap - personally view interaction and and cuddles as immensely more adorable and satisfying. So if you are rolling on the ground wondering, "WHY DID I READ EIGHTEEN CHAPTERS JUST TO SEE THEM HUG?" ...I am sorry. In the mass-edit I'll be doing in a month or so on this whole thing, might rewrite this chapter some to include. Which reminds me - if there was ANYTHING you wanted in it, or felt should have been included, or needed improvement, now is the time to give the head's up.  
In this chapter, I tried to make it possible to leave off in such a way BW2 was still plausible. I'm certain there's an inconsistency with N returning, but eh.  
No. No there will not be a sequel. J-just... no...  
But yes, I will be continuing to write NTouya fanfiction... along with GreenRed fanfiction. But not in the same fanfiction. Maybe. Will be expecting you guys to also be writing NTouya fanfiction. Yes.  
**Special Thanks**: Thank you so, _so_ much to everyone that has been reading this massive bugger of a story. No, it isn't the longest fanfic out there (or even the longest NTouya fic), but there was a giant hiatus and the fact some of you are still reading means the world to me. You guys are fabulous and wonderful. Thank you to my friend Shadow Serenity 57 on here, who pretty much is always there encouraging me and listening to my two am nonsense while I write. Like, seriously words cannot properly convey how grateful I am to everyone who reviews. Blargh, if you want me to gush to you how happy you made me then I will be more than happy to send you a PM on here. You have all been incredibly forgiving and helpful and nice and sweet and made of all shades of win for tolerating my sloppiness at the end. And congratulations to you all, as well! You have just read about thirty or forty pages this week, and maybe twenty-four thousand words-ish? Give yourself a giant hug. Now if _only_ fanfiction counted as an actual book, you guys could include this on your summer reading of stories finished.  
**Disclaimer:** May I never be affiliated with or uphold ownership of Pokemon. For everyone's sakes and sanity.


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